Disagree with a Professor

Should America Bring Back the Draft? | Professor Allan Stam, Former Green Beret


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Could mandatory military service unite a divided America—or make things worse?

UVA students debate Professor Allan Stam, former Green Beret and distinguished political scientist, on military conscription, national service, and whether forcing young Americans into uniform would build character or destroy creativity.

In This Episode:

  • Professor Stam's journey from college dropout to Special Forces to Yale PhD
  • Should every American serve for 2 years?
  • How national service could combat political polarization
  • The reality for women in the military
  • Why 90% of people join the military (it's not patriotism)
  • Can forced service create genuine patriotism?
  • Economic feasibility of mandatory service in America
  • Why the professor completely changed his mind over 25 years
  • About Our Guest: Dr. Alllan Stam is Distinguished University Professor at UVA's Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Before his academic career, he served as a Green Beret in Special Forces. He holds a PhD from Yale and has published five books on war and international conflict.

    Keywords: military conscription, mandatory service, national service, draft debate, political polarization, veterans, Green Beret, civic engagement, UVA

    Follow Disagree with a Professor: Instagram: @thinkagain.uva Twitter: @thinkagain.uva Website: thinkagainuva.com

    Disagree with a Professor is a student-led podcast from the University of Virginia demonstrating how to have intellectual conversations across differences.

    Music: "Dispersion Relation" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

    Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License

    Disagree With a Professor is created by Think Again at the University of Virginia, with production support from Awkward Sage Media.

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    Disagree with a ProfessorBy disagreewithaprofessor