The Pros and Cons and Military Draft - Essay Example

The Pros and Cons and Military Draft 1. Introduction The participation of citizens in the social and political initiatives developed by their countries is necessary in order for the stability of the relevant social and political environment to be guaranteed; in certain cases, the causes and the effects of this participation cannot be clearly identified and explained; the conscription is believed to be one of these cases; the terms under which the enlisting of citizens in the military draft is decided are likely to be differentiated worldwide – in accordance with the local political and social structure but also the needs of each country regarding the protection of its borders. The pros and cons and military draft – within different political and social conditions – are presented and analyzed in this paper. Emphasis is given on the identification of the characteristics of the relevant decision – i.e. whether it promotes freedom or not. The examination of the existing literature led to the assumption that military draft is not necessarily an indication of freedom; it is rather related with the political framework of each country reflecting the thoughts of the governors rather than the willingness of the citizens to participate in military initiatives. In other words, it has been proved that freedom can cost; moreover, it is made clear that citizens are not free to decide on their participation in initiatives that aim to protect the freedom of their nation. This fact does not necessarily indicate the lack of their willingness for participating in the relevant schemes. In any case, the terms under which the military draft is currently developed lead to a series of positive and negative effects – as analytically explained below. 2. Military Draft – aspects, pros and cons The Military Draft has been developed in order to serve specific needs: the number of the citizens participating in the military corps had to be estimated and evaluated – taking into consideration the military needs of each country – at least this is the initial role of the Military Draft as part of a country’s political framework. At the next level, the Military Draft can serves a series of additional needs, for instance, the need of a country to improve its position in the international community – by showing a well structured and highly populated army. At the same time, the ability of a country to protect its geo-political role is usually proved by its military population – also, its military advances – referring to the military technology available to the particular country. It is made clear that the Military Draft can have different roles – in accordance with the political and social framework of each country. In this context, the development of Military Draft is expected to lead to a series of positive and negative effects – being more or less clear in accordance with the existing political environment. In the literature, the participation of citizens in the military corps is believed to reflect a specific trend: the limitation of the personal rights in favor of the rights and the safety of the public. At this point the following problem appears: is such limitation acceptable? It could be argued that the freedom of the nation cannot be guaranteed without the participation of the citizens in the military. However, even if this decision is ethically justified it is still depended on specific political decisions; the level at which private rights are limited and the level at which the life of citizens is set under risk – a potential result of their participation in the military corps – is decided by the political authorities of each country; it is the governors of each country who decide the introduction of relevant plans. Using this point of view, the Military Draft could be characterized as the tool for the development and the realization of specific political thoughts; in the context of this role, the Military Draft does not actually serve the safety of the public – or else the freedom of the nation – but it rather serves the interest of specific persons – each country’s governors. The level at which this view could be accepted would be critically discussed by referring to the hierarchy of values and interests in the context of a nation. The political and social framework of each country is usually based on a series of principles – commonly included in its Constitution or other legislative text of similar format. The interests of the public are usually set at the top of the relevant hierarchy. In this context, the Military Draft can be characterized as a means for protecting not only the borders of a country but also the national identity; the latter can be developed – normally – within a country defined as of its borders. In the long term, the Military Draft can ensure the social coherence and integration. However, this fact may be differentiated under specific social and political conditions; the case of the Military Draft used in the Vietnam-era is mentioned by Galston (2004) as an example of the potential negative role of the Military Draft in the context of a particular society; given the social and political conditions of that era it is noted by Galston (2004) that the Military Draft of that period was ‘widely regarded as arbitrary and unfair, and it was held responsible for dissension within the military as well as the wider society’ (Galston, 2004, p.1); during that period the Military Draft was used in order to promote specific political options – as explained above – and not to serve the public interests – at least no such target could be clearly identified. The Military Draft of US had similar roles in the case of Afghanistan and Iraq; in the first case, the failures in developing the Military Draft have not appropriately treated; in the second case, the mistakes regarding the Military Draft have been identified and led to the termination – recently – of the relevant military schemes. The ‘optional citizenship’ framework is suggested by Galston (2004) as a potential solution for avoiding the negative aspects of citizenship – as the participation in the lists of the Military Draft may be regarded. However, the potential credibility of such frameworks could be doubted – such frameworks would lead to the development of contradictions in the context of democracy – other citizens would be more benefited from citizenship than others; such political schemes would be not acceptable in the context of a democratic society. At this point it should be noted that the defense of its country belongs primarily to its citizens; this obligation results from the rights of citizens on their country – rights of living, working and enjoying a series of benefits and freedoms as a result of their citizenship. Furthermore, foreigners would not be expected to have similar concerns with natives – referring to the defense of a country against potential threats. Under these terms, the obligation of citizens to participate in the military corps of their country cannot be actually regarded as negative. It should be rather considered as the expected result of the relationship between citizens and their nation. In accordance with this view, the value of Military Draft is high – ensuring that the threats for the freedom of a nation are minimized – or at least that these threats can be effectively controlled. At this point, another issue should be examined. Which could be the value of Military Draft during the war? Would the criteria used for the development of the Military Draft remain the same in times of war or they need to be differentiated – under the influence of the social and political conditions as transformed because of the war? In order to answer the above question, it would be necessary to refer to the potential effects of war on the political and social environment of a specific country; war is expected to lead to political and social crisis – even limited; political decisions need to be developed without delay – the limited time available may leads to wrong estimations of the country’s actual needs and threats; at the same time the citizens are expected to respond positively to the potential request for participation in the military corps – freedom is considered as the priority in regard to the social benefits enjoyed by the citizens in all countries worldwide. In accordance with Galston (2004) the event of the September 11th led to the differentiation of the US existing Military policies; military interventions in the Middle East were decided – under the threat of the increase of terrorism Military Draft had to be changed to respond to the new social and political needs. However, the role of the Military Draft during the war cannot be standardized; an indicative example is the avoidance of the Military Draft by the president George Bush during the Persian Gulf War; it is noted that during the above war the president George Bush preferred to use ‘the National Guard and Army Reserve’ (Burke, 2001, p.1); this was a political decision differentiated from those of the President Lyndon Johnson – in 1965 – who relied mostly on the Military Draft. 3. Conclusion The obligation of the citizens to participate in the military is usually absolute in the context of war – this was also a thought widely accepted during the world war (Burke, 2001, p.2); the above view can be characterized as justified taking into consideration the fact that during the war it is rather difficult to hire personnel for the military corps – the status of the national economy may not permit the development of such schemes; the issue of devotion is another parameter of these plans (Galston, 2004, p. 5). In accordance with the above, the Military Draft can have a different role in countries worldwide – in accordance with their political and social conditions – also in accordance with their potential involvement in military conflicts. It has been proved that the Military Draft has pros and cons; its value cannot be negatively affected taking into consideration its role in the development of crucial political decisions – referring to the use of the Military Draft for protecting the country’s borders and the citizens’ freedom, not to its use for the promotion of specific political plans. On the other hand, it has been proved that political leaders may have different views on the potential role of the Military Draft in the context of specific military projects; it is made clear that personal perceptions but also the relevant responses of the public can affect the involvement and the role of the Military Draft during various military interventions. Works Cited Burk, James. ‘The Military Obligation of Citizens Since Vietnam.’ Parameters: US Army War College 31.2 (2001): 48. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 15 Sept. 2010. Galston, William, A. ‘Thinking about the draft.’ Public Interest 154 (2004) 61-73. 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