this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2024
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[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

The abolition of conscription in the West coincides with the decline of notable anti-war movements

Something something correlation something something does not imply causation. There are many factors at play. Also - this is just accelerationism.

Universal conscription ensures that military service is not disproportionately borne by socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals

I'm sorry, are you delusional? Have you seen a single big capitalist, their offspring or their politician puppet who went to actual combat? No? There's a reason for that. In the country I come from, politicians and their families are shielded AF - no press gang comes close to their house, while ordinary people get snatched off the streets.

Wealthy individuals are often able to avoid military service through exemptions or alternative paths

You refuted your point here.

Conscripted soldiers are less likely to commit war crimes compared to volunteer soldiers

Proof? Didn't Nazi Germany have conscription? Didn't US army have conscription until the end of the Vietnam War? If you asked the Koreans, they'd disagree on the "war crimes" part - US soldiers bombed the living hell out of Korea in the 50s. Also, you know PTSD is a thing, right? Again, take Ukraine as an example - we now see tons of reports about people just going on the streets and shooting at random people and things. We see demobilized soldiers going on rampages, we see a significant spike in domestic violence, alcoholism, drug abuse, the whole shebang.

Universal conscription reduces the likelihood of individuals joining the military with the explicit intent to engage in combat abroad

Funny you should say that, because it doesn't apparently reduce the likelihood of your country becoming a concentration camp where men are prohibited from leaving and are forced to be literal cannon fodder for the US empire.

Currently, far-right militias actively engage in armed combat training, giving them a tactical advantage in conflicts...

Conscription would give the far-right the same benefits. What's the point? Are they going to selectively conscript all the communists? It's nonsense.

In the event of a communist revolution, a well-trained citizenry would be better prepared to resist government repression and uphold revolutionary ideals.

You do not need conscription for that

A communist revolution depends on military support

I repeat my point - you don't need conscription for that.

As a communist who comes from a literal Nazi-infested fascist country, where people are afraid to go out because the press-gangs can push you into a minivan, take you to a "recruitment" center, proclaim you are eligible even if you only have one hand, you are legally blind or you have Down Syndrome (there's videoproof of that, btw), give you at most 3 weeks of training and then send you to your death, I tell you this - you have zero fucking clue what you are talking about.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago (1 children)

It is causation, "my kid isn't in the army so what do I care" vs "my kid is reaching the draft age so I don't want a war". Nothing accelerationist about that

Proof?

Not a proof but I think it's not a coincidence Azov and the like are always voluntary units.

Didn’t US army have conscription until the end of the Vietnam War?

Yes they did: https://www.warhistoryonline.com/vietnam-war/anti-war-resistance-vietnam-war.html Now find similar stories from Iraq war, I'll wait.

What’s the point? Are they going to selectively conscript all the communists?

No, they will draft everyone so entire society will have combat training. It is better for popular uprisings, that much is irrefutable. Right now only nazis are preparing for armed conflict and you'll never convince regular people to waste time and resources to join militias and train.

You do not need conscription for that

You need conscription for that: https://socialistworker.co.uk/features/how-troops-refused-orders-and-joined-the-russian-revolution/

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

“my kid is reaching the draft age so I don’t want a war”...

Did it help people in Ukraine?

Not a proof but I think it’s not a coincidence Azov and the like are always voluntary units.

The original Nazis weren't. And they were also not known for their kind treatment of the POWs and the locals in general, you know. Also - your point was that "conscripts are less likely to commit war crimes". Do I need to remind you what the US soldiers did to Korea? To the Vietnamese? Hey, here's a good example - the "Israelis". They are draftees too, remember?

No, they will draft everyone so entire society will have combat training.

Oh, god, the naivete... Yes, they will draft Elon Musk and his children, I am sure of it. Along with Billy Gates and Jeff Bezos. What are you smoking? I'll ask again - how is that going to help? Do you really think conscription makes good soldiers - professional, motivated, experienced? No it doesn't. It makes cannon fodder.

You need conscription for that: https://socialistworker.co.uk/features/how-troops-refused-orders-and-joined-the-russian-revolution/

No you don't. You need the material conditions deteriorating so badly that people will be forced to go against the state. The war helped, but it wasn't the primary factor. The soldiers were extremely unmotivated in the first place.

Again, one word for you: Ukraine.