Why just fixate on current events? This isn't the SWJ Current Conflicts Town Square, either. Small Wars are timeless in so many ways (and will most likely remain so until Wilf can impose his war dictatorship that only allows major state-on-state refereed events....). You could have a bemused member of Marius' Mules resting on his pilum and looking at his modern counterpart (a Marine, perhaps, with his 100lb+ 'combat load'). Behind them could be a member of Mackenzie's Fourth Cavalry kitted out for campaign, and the ubiquitous "Red Coat" fitted for an extended patrol in India or Afghanistan. Scouts and auxiliaries from all eras could be shown brewing coffee around a fire, waiting for the large state troops to get their acts in gear.

The idea of small wars transcends eras, no matter how much doctrinal bickering may currently surround them.