Is Egypt a good argument for a conscripted army?

[mainer]

I have been impressed by how the Egyptian army seems to be well-liked by its citizens, and also by how the army has treated Egypt's citizens with respect. The explanation, offered by most commentators, is that the army is a conscripted one, made up of the sons and brothers of those same citizens, so therefore far less likely to be corrupt or to fire on their own relatives.

While in Turkey, I was similarly impressed by the politeness and rather non-combative nature of their army, which is also conscripted. All adult males in Turkey are required to serve for about a year, and you'd find those soldiers guarding archaeological sites. They all seemed to be just relaxed young men, waiting out their tour of duty, laughing and joking with visitors. Fierce? Not one bit. Instead, they couldn't wait to talk to any Americans they encountered, because they all hoped to visit America on vacation someday.

It's made me re-think my position on the draft. Maybe citizen-soldiers are exactly what we want in our own army, and not professional warriors who become so detached from civilian life that they forget they are one of us.

[tabasco]

1. Yes. n/t

[rucky]

2. The bigger problem here is the top-brass at the Pentagon

it's never really been the soldiers. And universal conscription wouldn't fix that.

[rurallib]

3. got a lot of freaking brass that needs wars to make their mark.