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3/2020 vol. 30 by Ronen Itsik
Compulsory military service has become very rare over the last 30 years, in the western world. In... more Compulsory military service has become very rare over the last 30 years, in the western world. In the past, most countries considered military service as a socialisation platform, given the fact that most of the population was recruited and military units were a "meeting point" for different cultures-because of that the service then was functional as a social integrator. The current research studied changes in social attitude during compulsory military service in Israel, where the society is considered to be essentially divided around ethnical and national issues. This study is based on an analysis of the attitudes of 3200 internet questionnaire participants via social networks in Israel, followed by a U-test of the collected data. Half of the participants were high-school students (average age 17) and half of them discharged soldiers (average age 23). Analysis of the results reveals significant evidence: discharged soldiers tend to be more tolerant then high-school students with regard to other cultures and ethnic origins. A discharged IDF soldier is less afraid of security threats and considers budget prioritisation towards social welfare to be more important than security challenges. These findings show that compulsory military service can still be effective as a social integrator, even in the post-modern world where countries are dealing with migration issues and ethno-national tensions.
Papers by Ronen Itsik
Democracy and security, Jun 11, 2024
RUSI Journal, Jul 29, 2022
Journal of Political & Military Sociology, Apr 25, 2022
The claim has been made that the social impact of army service has eroded in recent decades as th... more The claim has been made that the social impact of army service has eroded in recent decades as the influence of service as an intergenerational familial tradition has declined, affecting the willingness of children to volunteer in the community and to enlist in the military. This study examines the effect of past service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on the values families have about both community and military service as a family tradition. Survey results from more than fourteen hundred respondents to a questionnaire published on social media show that the army service of parents positively affects the readiness of their children to volunteer in the community as well as to join the IDF. Additionally, the children of parents who have served in the military have a significantly higher social motivation than a security motivation to engage in military service, which lends support to the “citizen-soldier,” as opposed to the “professional army,” model. Hence, within contemporary Israeli society, the “citizen-soldier” army still serves as a “tribal fire,”1 and military service helps establish a constructive patriotism that is essential for such a divided society as Israel.
Ruch Prawniczy, Ekonomiczny i Socjologiczny, 2020
Jewish culture deals a lot with survival stories – most of them became myths, especially since th... more Jewish culture deals a lot with survival stories – most of them became myths, especially since the establishment of the state of Israel. The Jewish ‘survival ethos’ is assimilated in Israel mostly by customs, traditions, and education. Above all, it has been claimed that military service in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is the most significant institution that empowers the survival ethos. As a result, it is assumed that those who serve in the IDF are characterized by hatred towards Arabs, and by being extreme nationalists. This claim is examined in the current article, which analyses the level of the sense of security threat among Israelis during the last decade, draws on data on military service and levels of trust in Israeli government institutions, and reveals an essential finding: Israeli’s survival ethos is being eroded among IDF soldiers. This finding, followed by the fact that the leaders of the liberal party in the Israeli parliament are former military generals, indicates...
Journal of Political & Military Sociology
The claim has been made that the social impact of army service has eroded in recent decades as th... more The claim has been made that the social impact of army service has eroded in recent decades as the influence of service as an intergenerational familial tradition has declined, affecting the willingness of children to volunteer in the community and to enlist in the military. This study examines the effect of past service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on the values families have about both community and military service as a family tradition. Survey results from more than fourteen hundred respondents to a questionnaire published on social media show that the army service of parents positively affects the readiness of their children to volunteer in the community as well as to join the IDF. Additionally, the children of parents who have served in the military have a significantly higher social motivation than a security motivation to engage in military service, which lends support to the “citizen-soldier,” as opposed to the “professional army,” model. Hence, within contemporary Is...
Security and Defence Quarterly, 2020
Compulsory military service has become very rare over the last 30 years, in the western world. In... more Compulsory military service has become very rare over the last 30 years, in the western world. In the past, most countries considered military service as a socialisation platform, given the fact that most of the population was recruited and military units were a "meeting point" for different cultures-because of that the service then was functional as a social integrator. The current research studied changes in social attitude during compulsory military service in Israel, where the society is considered to be essentially divided around ethnical and national issues. This study is based on an analysis of the attitudes of 3200 internet questionnaire participants via social networks in Israel, followed by a U-test of the collected data. Half of the participants were high-school students (average age 17) and half of them discharged soldiers (average age 23). Analysis of the results reveals significant evidence: discharged soldiers tend to be more tolerant then high-school students with regard to other cultures and ethnic origins. A discharged IDF soldier is less afraid of security threats and considers budget prioritisation towards social welfare to be more important than security challenges. These findings show that compulsory military service can still be effective as a social integrator, even in the post-modern world where countries are dealing with migration issues and ethno-national tensions.
Compulsory military service has become very rare over the last 30 years, in the western world. In... more Compulsory military service has become very rare over the last 30 years, in the western world. In the past, most countries considered military service as a socialisation platform, given the fact that most of the population was recruited and military units were a "meeting point" for different cultures-because of that the service then was functional as a social integrator. The current research studied changes in social attitude during compulsory military service in Israel, where the society is considered to be essentially divided around ethnical and national issues. This study is based on an analysis of the attitudes of 3200 internet questionnaire participants via social networks in Israel, followed by a U-test of the collected data. Half of the participants were high-school students (average age 17) and half of them discharged soldiers (average age 23). Analysis of the results reveals significant evidence: discharged soldiers tend to be more tolerant then high-school students with regard to other cultures and ethnic origins. A discharged IDF soldier is less afraid of security threats and considers budget prioritisation towards social welfare to be more important than security challenges. These findings show that compulsory military service can still be effective as a social integrator, even in the post-modern world where countries are dealing with migration issues and ethno-national tensions.
Democracy and security, Jun 11, 2024
RUSI Journal, Jul 29, 2022
Journal of Political & Military Sociology, Apr 25, 2022
The claim has been made that the social impact of army service has eroded in recent decades as th... more The claim has been made that the social impact of army service has eroded in recent decades as the influence of service as an intergenerational familial tradition has declined, affecting the willingness of children to volunteer in the community and to enlist in the military. This study examines the effect of past service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on the values families have about both community and military service as a family tradition. Survey results from more than fourteen hundred respondents to a questionnaire published on social media show that the army service of parents positively affects the readiness of their children to volunteer in the community as well as to join the IDF. Additionally, the children of parents who have served in the military have a significantly higher social motivation than a security motivation to engage in military service, which lends support to the “citizen-soldier,” as opposed to the “professional army,” model. Hence, within contemporary Israeli society, the “citizen-soldier” army still serves as a “tribal fire,”1 and military service helps establish a constructive patriotism that is essential for such a divided society as Israel.
Ruch Prawniczy, Ekonomiczny i Socjologiczny, 2020
Jewish culture deals a lot with survival stories – most of them became myths, especially since th... more Jewish culture deals a lot with survival stories – most of them became myths, especially since the establishment of the state of Israel. The Jewish ‘survival ethos’ is assimilated in Israel mostly by customs, traditions, and education. Above all, it has been claimed that military service in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is the most significant institution that empowers the survival ethos. As a result, it is assumed that those who serve in the IDF are characterized by hatred towards Arabs, and by being extreme nationalists. This claim is examined in the current article, which analyses the level of the sense of security threat among Israelis during the last decade, draws on data on military service and levels of trust in Israeli government institutions, and reveals an essential finding: Israeli’s survival ethos is being eroded among IDF soldiers. This finding, followed by the fact that the leaders of the liberal party in the Israeli parliament are former military generals, indicates...
Journal of Political & Military Sociology
The claim has been made that the social impact of army service has eroded in recent decades as th... more The claim has been made that the social impact of army service has eroded in recent decades as the influence of service as an intergenerational familial tradition has declined, affecting the willingness of children to volunteer in the community and to enlist in the military. This study examines the effect of past service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on the values families have about both community and military service as a family tradition. Survey results from more than fourteen hundred respondents to a questionnaire published on social media show that the army service of parents positively affects the readiness of their children to volunteer in the community as well as to join the IDF. Additionally, the children of parents who have served in the military have a significantly higher social motivation than a security motivation to engage in military service, which lends support to the “citizen-soldier,” as opposed to the “professional army,” model. Hence, within contemporary Is...
Security and Defence Quarterly, 2020
Compulsory military service has become very rare over the last 30 years, in the western world. In... more Compulsory military service has become very rare over the last 30 years, in the western world. In the past, most countries considered military service as a socialisation platform, given the fact that most of the population was recruited and military units were a "meeting point" for different cultures-because of that the service then was functional as a social integrator. The current research studied changes in social attitude during compulsory military service in Israel, where the society is considered to be essentially divided around ethnical and national issues. This study is based on an analysis of the attitudes of 3200 internet questionnaire participants via social networks in Israel, followed by a U-test of the collected data. Half of the participants were high-school students (average age 17) and half of them discharged soldiers (average age 23). Analysis of the results reveals significant evidence: discharged soldiers tend to be more tolerant then high-school students with regard to other cultures and ethnic origins. A discharged IDF soldier is less afraid of security threats and considers budget prioritisation towards social welfare to be more important than security challenges. These findings show that compulsory military service can still be effective as a social integrator, even in the post-modern world where countries are dealing with migration issues and ethno-national tensions.