The Military Issue

Other countries that also have conscription are Lebanon, Israel, China, Germany, and Finland. How do you see these countries' need for obligatory military service compared with that of Cyprus? What historical elements warrant certain countries an obvious need for increased military numbers?
Cyprus, despite having a conscription, it does not justify the fact that we’re in a war zone. Cyprus does not have a strong military force and the economy is not strong enough to create an army that could actually fight back the Turkish army in case of a Turkish invasion. Being a member in the EU acts as a shield to any threat and politically, Turkey would not invade Cyprus because Turkey itself is interested in joining the EU despite its expansionist policies and militaristic regimes. Cyprus is currently in peace and people nowadays view it as unnecessary as Cyprus relies heavily on foreign countries for assistance, countries like Greece, Serbia and France. Countries like Lebanon, Israel are currently into an unstable zone so having a strong reinforced army would be crucial for their citizens safety and a conscription would be deemed as absolutely necessary. Unlike Cyprus, they are in heavy pressure and they actually have a motive to train troops. - What sort of alternative service option might be equally beneficial to traditional military service?Instead of serving heavy labor service such as the army, social service could prove more useful rather than serving an unnecessary training that most of the population disapproves. -

What sort of advantages does one have to gain through military service and what does a young person stand to lose?
For the sake of realism, in the Cypriot army you gain only 1 month of good exercise and then you just actually sit, play playstation, eat souvlaki and party. To simply put it, it is a waste of time. In a normal and proper military service, you learn about discipline, you keep your body in an excellent condition, and most of all you learn how to act in times of war.

- What is a conscientious objector and under what sort of conscription circumstance could you see yourself as being a conscientious objector. Perhaps in a hypothetical scenario, what historical example of conscription could you empathize with conscientious objectors?
A conscientious objector for a conscription would be physically evading the army service. I do not need a fiction scenario to be a conscientious objector. In the Cypriot army you just remain apathetic and sit all of the time. I really don’t want to waste time. I could empathize with the Vietnamese war candidates as they fought a pointless war and died a dog’s death.

- Is the current time requirement for military service adequate? Do you find it excessive, or perhaps not long enough?
It is way too excessive. The ideal limit for me would be 4-6 months. As for why, it is stated somewhere above.