War in the 21st century

Once again, I touch on current events. This morning a quick look at Google News Canada and the Washington Post provided three examples of war in the 21st century. Students who will be in my History of the Modern World or History of Islamic Civilization should consider these articles as background reading. They show how easy it is for modern military forces, in Iraq, Afghanistan, and East Timor, to destroy public order, or civil society if you will, resulting in the chaotic impoverishment of a whole society. And the chaos is long term. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, with its widespread destruction and huge refugee movements, took place in December, 1979; the Indonesian invasion of East Timor, in 1975.