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Old enough to remember when the US did almost the same thing in the war with Vietnam. The draft (forced conscription) ended in 1973 but could come back if the g

Old enough to remember when the US did almost the same thing in the war with Vietnam. The draft (forced conscription) ended in 1973 but could come back if the government decides it needs more soldiers. The practice the article describes was called "pressing" or impressment back when the British Royal Navy did it. Not defending what Russia does, just pointing out that Russian did not invent forcing young men into military service. EDIT: I don't like forced military service regardless of how the state goes about it, whether they grab people off the street or use a lottery. And even lotteries can have bias and loopholes. Some people got out of the Vietnam draft because of money, family connections, or bone spurs. And then it doesn't always work out fairly: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_African_Americans_in_the_Vietnam_War https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_African_Am... That Russia has to resort to 18th century press gangs to fill out their army says more about that state's inability to organize a more fair system, and failure to attract volunteers to the military in the first place.

epc 4y ago
There's a bit of a difference between having a process enacted by the government which requires registration and assessment of candidate draftees and a process (the US used a lottery) to select draftees, and just randomly grabbing people off the street as Russia appears to be doing. Not defending the draft, just pointing out that Russia's process today is not remotely close to what the US did or other countries currently do today.
- gregjor 4y ago
  If you get forced into military service against your will, how it happens or the legal framework makes a difference only in the academic sense. I would prefer the US conscription system of course, at least you can plan for that.
- dudul 4y ago
  A lottery and randomly picking people off the street seem pretty similar to me. Of course it is different, UT at the end of the day, you get randomly picked to get sent to the front. Doesn't matter much how organized the process is.
melling 4y ago
What about old men? “A man from a Moscow service agency, very drunk, in his mid-50s, with a walking disability.” The “almost the same” but not really doesn’t seem to hold up here. Quite a bit more indiscriminate.

epc 4y ago

There's a bit of a difference between having a process enacted by the government which requires registration and assessment of candidate draftees and a process (the US used a lottery) to select draftees, and just randomly grabbing people off the street as Russia appears to be doing. Not defending the draft, just pointing out that Russia's process today is not remotely close to what the US did or other countries currently do today.

gregjor 4y ago
If you get forced into military service against your will, how it happens or the legal framework makes a difference only in the academic sense. I would prefer the US conscription system of course, at least you can plan for that.
dudul 4y ago
A lottery and randomly picking people off the street seem pretty similar to me. Of course it is different, UT at the end of the day, you get randomly picked to get sent to the front. Doesn't matter much how organized the process is.

melling 4y ago

What about old men? “A man from a Moscow service agency, very drunk, in his mid-50s, with a walking disability.” The “almost the same” but not really doesn’t seem to hold up here. Quite a bit more indiscriminate.