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Would you be conscripted to fight ISIS?

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Reply 20
Avatar for VannR
VannR
21
Absolutely not.

This is because a full-scale military assault on ISIS, either through conscription or using the standing military forces, is probably the worst thing that could be done when you consider the geo-political picture. Taking such a direct role, essentially becoming the de facto military power in Middle East, could have difficult consequences for the Gaza conflict and the Syrian conflict, as well as relations in the rest of the region. Not to mention how Russia could use it as leverage to justify their intervention in Ukraine, which arguably concerns Russian interests just as much, if not more than the Middle East affects the interests of the West.

I want no part in that.

EDIT: Your poll has no place for me. I am no pacifist, but I sincerely believe that a full-scale military assault on ISIS, through conscription of all things, has to be the most practically and politically hare-brained act that the West could take.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by felamaslen
Isn't the fight against the global jihad more important to you than quibbles like this?


Assad and Putin are fighting against 'global jihad' as well, you know?
Original post by James Milibanter
The answer is not attrition, it is further volunteers, no more civilian deaths, this is a moral issue. Volunteers can go and fight, it is their choice, same with ISIS, civilians are completely innocent so their lives should not be at risk, no matter how much easier it makes the fight against ISIS.


The premise of the question is that conscription has been re-introduced though. I wouldn't be in favour of conscription either, because we already have a standing volunteer army large and powerful enough to defeat this monster. We just need our politicians to take the issue seriously.
Reply 23
Avatar for viddy9
viddy9
16
I would object to being forced into joining the war. I might volunteer, more likely so for the Kurds, but I suppose I would be more likely to choose to stay in a neutral country until the war was over.
Original post by James Milibanter
voluntary conscription is a juxtaposition is all I was saying.


Well given what I just said, is it really all that contradictory? Put it like this: you are by default in the army, but if you really don't want to, you don't have to.
Original post by felamaslen
The premise of the question is that conscription has been re-introduced though. I wouldn't be in favour of conscription either, because we already have a standing volunteer army large and powerful enough to defeat this monster. We just need our politicians to take the issue seriously.

Well, if we went full throttle to attack ISIS, then we'd be vulnerable to Russia who've been very very mischievous recently. :colone:
Original post by anarchism101
Assad and Putin are fighting against 'global jihad' as well, you know?


But they are fighting for tyranny. Britain has never fought for tyranny.

By the way, I regard IS as a larger enemy at the moment than Assad and certainly Putin (though I find all of them repulsive). If cooperation with Assad is necessary in order to defeat IS, then, well... so be it? Cooperation with the Soviet Union was probably necessary to defeat Hitler, after all.
Original post by James Milibanter
Well, if we went full throttle to attack ISIS, then we'd be vulnerable to Russia who've been very very mischievous recently. :colone:


Yes, Putin needs a good kick in the throat for ruining Russia's chances of becoming a democracy.

But the elephant in the room is Obama. Why, oh why, is that cowardly fool leader of the free world?
Original post by felamaslen
Well given what I just said, is it really all that contradictory? Put it like this: you are by default in the army, but if you really don't want to, you don't have to.

Then what's the point in conscription, surely if they wanted to fight ISIS then they would have volunteered, it isn't as if being forced into something is going to make you suddenly want to do it.
Original post by James Milibanter
Then what's the point in conscription, surely if they wanted to fight ISIS then they would have volunteered, it isn't as if being forced into something is going to make you suddenly want to do it.


Well one argument could be that if serving in the army was a "default" thing to do, then maybe more people would do it and we would have a stronger military. I'm not the one arguing for conscription though! I just assumed the thread was asking "would you conscientiously object to a war on IS", and my answer was (of course) hell no.
Original post by felamaslen
But they are fighting for tyranny. Britain has never fought for tyranny.


Keep telling yourself that.

By the way, I regard IS as a larger enemy at the moment than Assad and certainly Putin (though I find all of them repulsive). If cooperation with Assad is necessary in order to defeat IS, then, well... so be it? Cooperation with the Soviet Union was probably necessary to defeat Hitler, after all.


Do you not consider what you're fighting for just as important as what you're fighting against? If I'm going to fight, I want to be fighting for Rojava and libertarian socialism.
Original post by felamaslen
Yes, Putin needs a good kick in the throat for ruining Russia's chances of becoming a democracy.

But the elephant in the room is Obama. Why, oh why, is that cowardly fool leader of the free world?

He isn't, long story short, he's barely leader of his own bloody country.
Original post by anarchism101
Keep telling yourself that.

Do you not consider what you're fighting for just as important as what you're fighting against? If I'm going to fight, I want to be fighting for Rojava and libertarian socialism.


Name one war which occurred during the last century in which Britain was fighting in favour of tyranny, against democrats.

I do as a matter of fact consider what I'm fighting for as the most important thing. If I was fighting for Britain, then I would be fighting for a (reasonably) secular, liberal democracy where minorities (on the whole) have rights and free speech (with minor flaws) exists.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by felamaslen
Well one argument could be that if serving in the army was a "default" thing to do, then maybe more people would do it and we would have a stronger military. I'm not the one arguing for conscription though! I just assumed the thread was asking "would you conscientiously object to a war on IS", and my answer was (of course) hell no.

I suppose, but you can understand the confusion within the question. Incomprehensible posts really grind my gears and I tend not to engage in them, however being such a controversial issue, I figured why not?
Original post by James Milibanter
He isn't, long story short, he's barely leader of his own bloody country.


I can't help holding the majority of Americans who elected him (especially in 2012) at least a tiny bit responsible for the horrific quagmire the middle east now finds itself in...
Hell no. I wouldn't waste my life on those scumbags.

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Original post by TheUnknownDude
Hell no. I wouldn't want to waste my life on those scumbags.

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Original post by James Milibanter
I suppose, but you can understand the confusion within the question. Incomprehensible posts really grind my gears and I tend not to engage in them, however being such a controversial issue, I figured why not?


It's a fair point, the OP certainly could have been worded better.
Original post by felamaslen
I can't help holding the majority of Americans who elected him (especially in 2012) at least a tiny bit responsible for the horrific quagmire the middle east now finds itself in...

Ah you'll be able to tell that i'm slightly left of the spectrum now, I believe it was Bush's administration, him and Tony Blair going into the Middle East all guns blazing, causing mass instability. Throughout history it has been clear that removing one regime and replacing it with another (even a democratic one) leads to civil unrest. The UK itself underwent years of civil war in order to establish its democratic powerhouse we call parliament.
If I was forced to fight, I would be like "Oh but Im WAY more useful in the technology sector" Yknow safe in the UK, away from the actual fighting, but making sure all the communications and stuff work...

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