So....there's a lot of conscription going on. Russia apparently has a military draft, and given the invasion, so does Ukraine. Honestly? It should be no surprise that I am almost completely categorically against a military draft. A draft is forced labor. I'm against forced labor, including wage slavery. However, with wage slavery, I have made it clear that when my ideals conflict with reality, and reality requires some amount of economic compulsion to make people work, I will yield to reality. Virtually all of my work on the subject that I've done recently regarding work week reductions and freeing people from a UBI are within the context that we can sustainably pursue these things. I believe we can pursue shorter work weeks in the form of lower GDP growth in practice. And a UBI would only have a work reduction equivalent to a 5-10 year hit to GDP, and if implemented over that period of time, would be easily doable, given we continually grow. But let's face it, if a country or the world faces an existential threat that requires some level of coerced labor, I can understand and respect that. I'm left wing, but I'm not stupid left wing.
So....military draft. For me, a military draft is SO much worse than mere wage slavery. It essentially involves a state not only coercing people into some sort of service, but it also involves putting them in harm's way. You're forcing them, by gunpoint, to be put in life or death situations that get people killed. I believe that is wholly immoral under normal circumstances. If the US implemented a military draft today, I would be against it. I would be opposed to the military draft during vietnam too. Any post WWII conflict, minus MAYBE Korea, I would be completely against a draft for. Why? Because if you're going to push a draft, it should only be as a last response. The very country would have to be under a dire attack where you're fighting in the streets blocks away and you're in imminent nature of life and death. And, you would need to not be able to reasonably drive back the force with just a voluntary military.
So...is Ukraine justified in imposing a draft? ABSOLUTELY. HOWEVER, i would throw in one caveat. To my knowledge, no one of draft age is allowed to leave the country. But, honestly? I think forcing people to serve when they would rather flee is coercive. Like, I see both sides here. The state needs people to serve to protect it, but if someone doesn't want to fight, and don't want to be put in a life or death situation, I think that their loyalty to themselves takes precedence over loyalty to country. Now, the country would have every right to sanction people who refuse to fight. Strip them of citizenship or jail them if they return, whatever. But I would let them leave at least. But, at the same time, from the state's perspective, yes, a draft is justified. The state would be trying to preserve its existence from a superior military force and take it over. ANd that suspension of freedom is necessary to prevent the complete suspension of freedom that comes from foreign conquest and occupation. So in a purely defensive war, yes. A draft is justified. But I would also argue people fleeing the country to avoid the conflict is also justified. So, it's mixed. I really don't like the idea of just saying you have to fight, period, we're not gonna even let you escape. That's state violence, just as the invasion is state violence. To me, becoming a refugee is a valid alternative from an individual perspective.
So do I fully support Ukraine's draft? I support it from the perspective of if you don't get out now, prepare to fight. But anyone should be free to leave if they so desire. If the government decides later they don't want them to come back because they bring shame to their nation, that's up to them I guess. I'm not really a super patriotic/jingoistic type of guy. I respect the people who are on Ukraine's front lines fighting and taking part of the organized defense of the country. Don't get me wrong, those guys are HEROES, and deserve all the credit in the world for what they're doing. But...I don't like the idea of forcing people to be heroes.
Now, you have to look at the consequences of this too. If people leave, and no one fights, then Ukraine as a nation dies. The defense is more likely to fail. And Ukraine might be taken over by the Russians. This is bad for anyone who lives there or wants to live there, and is not aligned with Russia. Don't get me wrong. Russia's invasion represents an attack by an authoritarian regime on a relatively peaceful democratic country that seeks its own freedom and independence. And those ideals are lost if Ukraine falls. But....the people who flee could live better lives elsewhere in Europe. And I think that they have a right to pursue that. I dont like the idea of telling people they're morally required to die for a cause, even if the cause is righteous. Even if it saves others. To me, it goes against my core ethics. And even in the face if existential threat, yeah, I still am uncomfortable claiming that kind of positive moral duty if alternatives exist.
But what if Russia doesn't stop at the Ukraine? Well, if Russia decided to take over the rest of the world, there will be nowhere else to run. So is leaving really doing anything but delaying the inevitable? Honestly, I think righteous democratic states like the Ukraine have a moral right to impose a draft for self preservation. But people in the sake of their own self preservation, have a right to flee the conflict zone. However, if they stay, they should fight.
What about Russia's draft? Well, they're the aggressors, and they're an authoritarian regime. Their draft isn't justified. They're under no immediate danger. If NATO invaded them, under no provocation, and decided to simply expand territory like Russia is doing now, Russia would be justified in imposing a draft on their people. But, they're the aggressor, and to me a draft is only morally on the table in defense of imminent attack on one's homeland. There's only been two times in US history I would say a draft was black and white justified. And that was the civil war and WWII. In both wars, there were direct attacks on the homeland that precipitated the conflict, and the existential nature of the conflict justified it. But, beyond that, not really. 9/11 was a terrorist attack by a NGO, not an organized military attack by a state power. There was no occupying force there. And Al Qaeda also had complex motives leading to the conflict being more morally ambiguous. So thats a little different.
But yeah, that's my stance on drafts. I don't like drafts. Drafts are one of the greatest evils a state power can commit against its citizens, and should only be done in the case of an extremely dire need of them. Again, we're talking an imminent existential threat against the country itself from a foreign military power with the explicit intention of killing people and occupying the territory. In those cases, such as Ukraine is facing now, a draft is justified. At the same time, I don't necessarily fault people for trying to evade it by fleeing to a country not involved in the conflict. That is an individual moral decision one must make. I think telling people they can't leave, like Ukraine is trying to do now, is a bit sus to me. I understand where they're coming from and why they do that, but really. I just dont like the idea of morally requiring people to essentially die for a country, or any cause. If they'd rather go, go. But I would also be okay with the state in question kicking them out in such a case and not allowing them to return. You flee, you throw your lot in with whomever you flee to. Have a nice life.
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