Micro-post #108: A pair of articles about how power vacuums play out

Today seems to be the day I come across a couple articles about the nature of power vacuums. One was about how average people don't normally get the worse end of the deal when it comes to "apocalyptic" moments in history, with evidence showing people become healthier and stronger in those times. Problem, of course and as shown in the second article with present-day Sudan as the example, is that this doesn't help when anarchy comes and knocks at your door in the moment. Both are worth reading together, since they help illuminate different aspects of a devastating topic.

Image from Museums Victoria (Unsplash)

"The rewards of ruin" by Luke Kemp (Aeon)

"The Most Nihilistic Conflict on Earth" by Anne Applebaum (The Atlantic) [paywalled, archive copy included]