Should We Reinstate the Draft?

[Super Dude]

By legitimate enemy I was referring to an actual nation, rather than 19 free agents.  Al Qaeda is actually an oddball situation here.  I suppose ferreting them out could be a legitimate use of the military, although certainly not the best route to take.  However, I don't think the Afghan war is or ever was an act of national defense, at least not directly.

This is more a discussion for a different thread, but you're absolutely right and it's a huge FP problem. Basically the entire last decade was an effort (a mixed basket in terms of being a success or failure) to determine how foreign policy is supposed to address threats that don't belong to neat nation-state type categories like terrorists.

[TL]

The draft is just a mind-bogglingly terrible idea.
"Hey, let's force our youth into a highly dangerous conflict, whether they agree with it or not".

Anyone who thinks it would make the government any less likely to initiate a conflict is, at best, naive. They're not the ones who would be risking their lives, and I'd be shocked if most of them didn't find ways to get their own children out of it. As for public pressure, that worked so well for ending the Iraq war, which as we all know ended back in 2004.

[Adami]

The draft is just a mind-bogglingly terrible idea.
"Hey, let's force our youth into a highly dangerous conflict, whether they agree with it or not".

Anyone who thinks it would make the government any less likely to initiate a conflict is, at best, naive. They're not the ones who would be risking their lives, and I'd be shocked if most of them didn't find ways to get their own children out of it. As for public pressure, that worked so well for ending the Iraq war, which as we all know ended back in 2004.

There are lots of countries with drafts that are doing just fine with them.

[Nick]

"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

And you want to end unjustified wars? Just make the people pay for them. Pass a balanced budget amendment. If, to invade Iraq, GWB had to make cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and raise taxes there is no fucking way in hell America would have gone for it. Same goes for any war of choice.

[Adami]

"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

And you want to end unjustified wars? Just make the people pay for them. Pass a balanced budget amendment. If, to invade Iraq, GWB had to make cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and raise taxes there is no fucking way in hell America would have gone for it. Same goes for any war of choice.

I'm not sure the founding fathers meant a draft when they wrote that.

[Super Dude]

Yeah, didn't we have something similar to a draft back then?

[Nick]

"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

And you want to end unjustified wars? Just make the people pay for them. Pass a balanced budget amendment. If, to invade Iraq, GWB had to make cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and raise taxes there is no fucking way in hell America would have gone for it. Same goes for any war of choice.

I'm not sure the founding fathers meant a draft when they wrote that.

For starters, the founding fathers didn't write that.

And if forcing people into service for a period of time to risk their lives, doing whatever they are ordered to do whether they like it or not doesn't constitute indentured servitude, if not slavery, then I don't know what does.

If a war is just then there will be no shortage of recruits.

[TempusVox]

I'm in favor of the draft. I think there should be some payback for the freedoms we all too often take for granted in this country. I hope we never have to use the military in an armed conflict of any kind, but I do think a couple of years service (with a couple of exceptions) is a good thing for people to do. The exceptions to me would be for medical reasons, or if you were in an accredited college or trade school, or if you had gotten a four year degree....you could be exempt.  Besides, we need more great songs like this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjKF7aQthcQ         

btw- I know the ORIGINAL version of this entire song word for word. No kidding. 

EDIT: HERE is the original version of the song (illustrated in 2 parts which is pretty cool)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmyXTOHC3w8  -  Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA83Xsj4WHM&feature=related  - Part 2

[TL]

The draft is just a mind-bogglingly terrible idea.
"Hey, let's force our youth into a highly dangerous conflict, whether they agree with it or not".

Anyone who thinks it would make the government any less likely to initiate a conflict is, at best, naive. They're not the ones who would be risking their lives, and I'd be shocked if most of them didn't find ways to get their own children out of it. As for public pressure, that worked so well for ending the Iraq war, which as we all know ended back in 2004.

There are lots of countries with drafts that are doing just fine with them.

I'm not saying a country will fall apart if they have the draft. I'm well aware that there are developed countries that still have it in some form or another. That still doesn't make it a good idea. Forcing citizens of your country to take place in armed conflict even if they oppose the conflict, or, you know, don't want to kill people, is borderline inhumane.

[Scheavo]

The draft is just a mind-bogglingly terrible idea.
"Hey, let's force our youth into a highly dangerous conflict, whether they agree with it or not".

Anyone who thinks it would make the government any less likely to initiate a conflict is, at best, naive. They're not the ones who would be risking their lives, and I'd be shocked if most of them didn't find ways to get their own children out of it. As for public pressure, that worked so well for ending the Iraq war, which as we all know ended back in 2004.

There are lots of countries with drafts that are doing just fine with them.

I'm not saying a country will fall apart if they have the draft. I'm well aware that there are developed countries that still have it in some form or another. That still doesn't make it a good idea. Forcing citizens of your country to take place in armed conflict even if they oppose the conflict, or, you know, don't want to kill people, is borderline inhumane.

Which is why many of those countries have civil opt ins. Like, doing AmeriCorps, or we could even do the Peace Corp as well.