ABSTRACT
Underlying conscription and volunteerism is a basic conception of shared community obligations and national service. Conscription, by its nature, is perceived as intrusive and, especially in the hyper-individualistic United States, has often been resisted. In the United States, forced conscription for an unpopular war in the 1960s resulted, ultimately, in the institution of a volunteer force in 1973. The eruption of war between Russia and Ukraine has resulted in increased pressure to expand conscription in Russia, which might sweep up non-Russian nationals in the country due to the perceived urgency of the situation. Investigate the variability in requirements for both military and civilian service worldwide using the CIA World Factbook. Inevitably, though, the question of conscription is grounded in military service, historically and culturally, and the question of which values are worth dying for—whether in combat or in arduous national service—is the one to which those considering the subject will, and should, always return.
