Not really, its more like feudal Europe where each person has a kingdom and most of the time you are at peace (but your neighbors may be in a battle) and most of the people were more worried about getting food for the winter over whats going on around them.
I mean I guess it could be seen as a war zone but most places (i.e. people/groups) are mostly unaffected by the battle
I like your analogy better; actually makes a lot of sense.
Thanks!