If national service is so good, everyone should do it

CITIZEN armies have been replaced in most countries by professional soldiers, who tend to do a better job of defending the nation than conscripted interns. But the draft is making a comeback in some surprising places. Sweden brought back military service this year, after an eight-year hiatus. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, is planning to revive national service, which was abolished in 1997. Thinkers in America, Britain and elsewhere have floated the idea—and polls suggest that voters like it.Some small countries with menacing neighbours, like Sweden and Lithuania, are resuming conscription for defensive purposes. But others have different motives. France, which will let teenagers work in a civil organisation rather than the armed forces if they prefer, hopes to foster social cohesion. This cuddlier sort of conscription is already popular in Scandinavia, and growing elsewhere. South Korea has announced plans for social service as an alternative to the military sort, following a court ruling in favour of conscientious objectors.