Mobilization by lottery? Harvard historian spoke about the draft experience in the USA.

During the Vietnam War, the USA decided who to draft into the army using a lottery. Historian Serhiy Plokhii from Harvard University, in an interview for 'Glavkom', discussed the effectiveness of this approach.

“Regardless of which method of military recruitment is chosen, the main thing is that society must perceive it as fair. The lottery is a tool that indicates a fair choice. If you trust the lottery organizers, you perceive it as fairness. I see this situation when I visit Ukraine. You are constantly living in this risky state, where you do not know if you will be lucky or not after the shelling. This, in a sense, is a lottery,” Plokhii noted.

The scholar noted that another version of fairness accepted in the USA is a volunteer army. Just as Russia is doing today. If you sign a contract and receive money for service, then it is your decision. But the question of the initial formula of fairness remains open. It depends on the traditions and perceptions of society. There is no universal formula of fairness for everyone.

“The Russian-Ukrainian war is the largest in Europe since 1945 and one of the largest in the world. Similarities can be found in the Vietnam and Korean wars. For example, in Korea, negotiations lasted for three years when there was no ceasefire. The parties were working on how to improve the situation on the front line. However, when it became clear that this was impossible, reconciliation took place,” added the historian.

Previously, the Harvard historian predicted the likelihood of a Third World War.

It was also reported that Trump plans to end the war in Ukraine by spring.

It is noteworthy that US President Donald Trump hopes that Saudi Arabia will lower the price of oil, which would help end the conflict in Ukraine.