The Cold War, a very artificial period in history, has led many today to think the lack of small wars due to great power constraints was and is the norm. Be nice if it was; it is not.
There were more 'small wars' during decolonization and the Cold War than there are now. The world has gotten progressively more peaceful since the end of the Cold War. Compare South and Central America, southern Africa, and eastern/southeast Asia then and now. The only places that grew significantly more violent were really central Asia, southern Europe, and central Africa, and only the DRC civil war compares with the death tolls inflicted in southeast Asia.