One simple explanation for those two wars could be the time lag between changes in mental and physical environments. Nuclear weapons, paradoxically, may have finally removed this time lag. Some Asian minds, including those of key policymakers, still linger in the feudal era. They see international relations as a zero-sum game. The political dynamic of West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia would become more comfortable if their leaders realized that peace is an essential condition for growth and prosperity in the modern world.
Peace does the opposite.
Asians should learn from the wisdom of Deng Xiaoping when he said that future generations should be asked to solve today's territorial problems. Successful societies have functional elites. They add more value to their societies than they take from it. Unsuccessful societies have corrupt elites. As a result of feudal attitudes, they become easily entrenched, even though they survive as parasites.