by Pasquale Bottiglieri

Created on: May 20, 2010   Last Updated: May 21, 2010

The concept of compulsory military service will either be viewed as a disgraceful denial of the human right to choose and a direct violation of the constitutional right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness or it will be accepted as a clearly defined responsibility directly connected to citizenship. How it is viewed is directly connected to the overall culture in which it is to be considered.

If we are discussing a national culture in which military strength is at the disposal of profit seeking organizations operating outside the control of any agency other than their investors and board of directors, compulsory military service would most probably be rejected by the vulnerable working middle class but advocated, however subtly, by the isolated, power seeking rich.

If, on the other hand, we base our discussion on a national culture that has a historic reliance on compulsory military service coupled with a historic reliance on a policy of ingrained neutrality and avoidance of conflict other than for their own protection, we will undoubtedly hear a very different response expressing confidence in the necessity for military service.

It is impossible to discuss what we refer to as the global economy without coming to grips with the complexities involved in international marketing and other relationships.

It is equally impossible to avoid the reality that the dominant national forces will experience conflict on the one hand and encounter responsibility to provide needed assistance on the other. Either of those situations have and will continue to lead to the proximity of armed intervention.

In this country, the United States, compulsory military service will exist and function properly if, and only if, every person affected by it has absolute confidence in and respect for the intent, methods and immediate goals and objectives of the President and all the governing agencies of the federal government.

If that confidence is lacking or frayed or otherwise damaged by obvious avarice, greed and other signs of corporate profit seeking influence, any attempt to force working people in to uniform will produce the opposite of the intended results.

History may prove that a corporate based power like the United States cannot sustain a military force based on citizen engagement but must rely on on a mercenary army composed of individuals who accept armed conflict as a means to a financial end.

In that case, a very different approach to managing the required military force will be required. The problems that the military is experiencing today would then appear to be good indicators of what will be faced in the future.

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