Military Drafts Loom Over Europe Thanks to Russia

Article here. Excerpt:

'Europe's first war between more-or-less peer powers in over 70 years upsets a lot of assumptions. Not least of them is the belief, or maybe just hope, that the brief and pleasant interlude of relative peace among powerful nations was here to stay. In broad terms, as I've written elsewhere, much of the world is back on a war footing, expanding military budgets and cementing defensive alliances. But renewed fears also offer governments that fear international dangers or just want an excuse to regiment their societies an opportunity to revive the unfortunate and previously fading practice of conscription.
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In the United States, some lawmakers tout mandatory service for all as a pathway to equity, which it might be if by "equity" you mean "shared loss of freedom."

"By reforming the Selective Service to be gender-neutral based registration, we draw on the talents of our entire nation in the time of a national emergency," Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D–Pa.) insisted last year of language that was, thankfully, later stripped from the National Defense Authorization Act.

But touchy-feely justifications for forcing people to serve the state are a hard sell. Claims that conscription will break down barriers don't square well with threats to place those who refuse behind bars. Old-fashioned defenses against predatory neighbors, on the other hand, more effectively play on people's fears. And too many officials, either frightened of cross-border dangers or simply aware of the opportunities they present, are taking advantage of the situation.'