> until very recently I do not think that custom has gone away. I seem to be at war with my next-door neighbour, over rubbish-disposal; I just don't know which

> until very recently I do not think that custom has gone away. I seem to be at war with my next-door neighbour, over rubbish-disposal; I just don't know which neighbour, what he looks like, or what his name is (but I'm not trying to seize his property by force of arms!) People go to war with their neighbours over REAL things, like water-rights, and access to minerals and other resources. Those real things are still real. Fortunately, imperial wars don't seem to happen much these days; perhaps because great imperial powers can now transport a heavily-armed army of 200,000 across the world in a few days, squishing your imperial ambitions. But the motivation is unchanged. Perhaps the Chinese occupation of Tibet is an example? (Tibet used to be the imperial power, once upon a time - Chinese diplomats in the 14th C used to kow-tow to Tibetan kings)