Here in Europe, in the 21st century, a World War I-style artillery war is unfolding that has killed thousands and laid waste to vast parts of Ukraine. Unlike the present conflict, World War I was preceded by a decades-long buildup. One year on, we are still asking why Vladimir Putin made a grab for Kyiv. To think that just a year ago, we were marking 30 years since the breakup of the Soviet Union. What's left of a shared past between two nations? What can that past and this present teach us all about our future?