[uyzstvqs]

> And while I wouldn't necessarily call it draconian because after all somebody has to defend my country

The ends don't justify the means. Conscription has no place in the free world. It's slavery, plain and simple. Going into the military should be an appealing career choice. Our soldiers are supposed to be highly skilled professionals, not cannon fodder in large quantities.

[raffael_de]

So, if some other country with different value system attacks your homeland with intention to effectively colonize it then you'd be okay with just letting it happen?

[kiviuq]

I believe it is up to the free individual to make that decision. I'm not saving the slave ship when I'm treated like one.

ps: There are 8 billion people on this planet, and I've never had any serious issues with any of them, much less a reason to start a war. Governments are always the cause of everyone's misery. Beware of yours!

[IAmBroom]

We now know for certain you don't live in Ukraine, nor any other country that has been invaded in your lifetime.

[kiviuq]

My family is from Ramallah so my wish to die for someone's greater cause is somewhat constrained.

[plorkyeran]

If you can’t get volunteers for a defensive war then that says a lot about how much the people living in your country value its continued existence.

[subsistence234]

The regime spent the past 50 years teaching everyone that their nation is just a source of shame and at best just a meaningless social construct, and that their culture and people's history is trash, that really nothing about it is worth saving.

And now the regime wants them to voluntarily sacrifice their lives for it.

[uyzstvqs]

No. I support a strong, volunteer military force of highly trained professionals (AVF). For example, how the US Army works today.

It's not only moral and compatible with human rights in the free world, it's also far more effective.

[mrob]

Any country that contains millionaires while using military slaves ("conscripts") is evil. If there is clear existential risk then the state should implement wealth taxes to pay volunteer troops instead of enslaving people. And if literally everybody outside the military has been taxed down to the poverty line, and there are still not enough volunteers, it's time to surrender.