This paper discusses the relevance of military conscription in Europe today. More specifically, it examines 1) the trend of abolishing conscription in Western countries over the last 20 years; 2) the approaches to conscription used by the countries that chose to maintain the practice; 3) why increased threat perceptions following Russia’s 2014 intervention in Ukraine and a re-evaluation of the societal function of conscription are leading some countries to rethink their policy on this subject; 4) the experiences some European countries have had with their all-volunteer armies; and 5) the difficulty of reintroducing conscription in countries which have switched to …read more
Military Conscription in Europe: New Relevance
