Draft Evasion Policy in the Republic of Cyprus

Abstract

This article views military service through the lenses of legal and gender approaches. With the reinstatement of compulsory military service being debated in many Western countries, the factors contributing to draft evasion are relevant. This article explores policy aiming to address draft evasion through a case study of post-EU-accession Cyprus. It shows that in Cyprus, policy attempts to reinvigorate military values are flawed. Draft evasion points to social, political, and economic developments that call for the military ideology of the armed forces to be redesigned to render a fairer institution toward conscript soldiers. When the draft evasion phenomenon becomes intensified, armies should consider a fairer form of military service, such as “giving back” to soldiers for the time spent in the army through the development of skills and educational and professional qualifications.