I have to agree entirely. I think it is also a reason many military people looked at the European front in WWII versus the Pacific front, and saw an obvious disparity in the conduct and cruelty of the war.
Everyone likes to say “oh, people are people” and there is truth in that, but it is also true that it is easier to relate to people who ostensibly share the same God (the same God on the Wehrmacht belt buckle “Gott mit uns” (God is with us) and who observe Christmas, sing the same carols in different languages, etc. than it is to relate to people who worshiped their ancestors instead of God.
In the 70’s it was thought the next world war would be between the USSR and China with the US siding with the Soviets-border conflicts in ‘69.
It’s the Asian mentality. Japan’s behavior in Nanking. Khmers. Even Bangladesh. East Germans can unlearn. Hopefully the Russians too. The Japanese required 2 bombs and an unconditional surrender, something not in their DNA. The element of doing ones duty is still there even if it conflicts with their conscience. Russians want to forget about the Gulags(Anne Applebaum’s book). Japanese schoolchildren do not hear about comfort women or Nanking.
Eternal vigilance is required. Not happening.