NATO Enlargement and Institution Building: Military Personnel Policy Challenges in the Post-Soviet Context

Abstract: States' conscription policies reveal much about their security climate, economic constraints, political debates, and social norms. While conscription has waned among democratic countries, several states maintain it as a way to socialize and educate their citizens. As post-communist states embrace Western influence and NATO, many have ended compulsory military service. In post-Soviet Georgia, however, conscription policy is a microcosm illustrating the difficulties of bridging security vulnerabilities, political upheaval, and resource realities. Although previous scholarship predicts that security and economic needs should supersede other considerations, we find that the domestic political context looms larger for decision makers of transitioning states.