Sometimes it feels like civilisation is sliding backwards when you see events unfold in the Ukraine, and now tensions rise with neighbouring Moldova.
Externally, and without understanding Ukrainian politics, it seems almost like a replay of Yugoslavia, with a country sliding into civil war, with former neighbours and colleagues now on opposing sides. Lets hope we don't see a repeat of some of the atrocities or decide to act a bit quicker if it does happen.
Russia appears to be fuelling a separatist movement rather than an outright invasion, and with NATO and Russian relations at the most tense in a long time, maybe it's time for the United Nations to step in before the Ukraine does slide into Civil war?
With Syria now in the grips of a long-standing Civil war, violence in Europe, recent deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and Islamic Extremists cropping all over the place, it does make you wonder if this actually is the 21st century. Or maybe the quest for territory, dwindling resources and imposing ideology is too engrained in us as a species.
It's good to see successive defence reviews now leave the UK with a token Armed Forces capable of doing little more than shouting loudly, while the rest of the world seems to become a more hostile place. Or are we all waiting for the Worlds new superpower to come and sort it all out... China 
