Anatol Lieven

Anatol Lieven is a former war correspondent for the Times and now directs the Eurasia Programme at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft in Washington DC.

National service won’t create real soldiers

There are strong arguments for national service in terms of national solidarity, training and self-discipline. In the end, however, the real question for any army worth the name is: would the soldiers fight? And would their families at home tolerate them being killed? It is indeed grotesque that Britain now has only one brigade immediately