ABSTRACT
The sacrifice demanded of young soldiers and particularly of conscripts in wartime burdens the conscience of Western liberal democracies. Fears for their fate may be temporarily eclipsed by hatred for the enemy or euphoria over victories, but they are not forgotten. For democratic states the rights of the individual are at the centre of politics. To demand that individuals lay down their lives for the sake of the whole is a contradiction which can be accepted by society only as a temporary aberration, bearable if it is restricted to the maximum extent possible and if the cause is presented as a struggle between good and evil. In battle, lives must not be expended if the same tasks can be accomplished by machines and explosives, while casualties must be rushed from the battlefield and receive the best possible medical attention. Prisoners of war (POWs) have to be rescued, exchanged or protected by international law and mutual deterrence.
