ANN ARBOR—The threat of war against Iraq has stirred debate regarding the U.S. government reinstating a military draft. The University of Michigan has experts to discuss this issue. J. David Singer, a political science professor, specializes in international politics, military policies and war. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and Korean War, and is a former consultant to the U.S. Department of Defense and State Department. Singer opposes a military draft, stating few citizens have experience in military training and have not been socialized into thinking that war is a legitimate activity. "One of the few virtues of military service is the acquisition of some useful skills, but there are more economical and civilized alternatives," he said. He can be contacted at (734) 763-6590 or jdsinger@umich.edu Jennet Kirkpatrick, a visiting assistant professor in political science, specializes in democratic theory and is teaching a political theory course this semester entitled "Obligation and Resistance." War in general and the draft in particular raise questions for citizens about the nature and extent of their political obligation to the state, she said. Do citizens have an obligation to die for the state and if so why? A draft might also raise the question about openly gay and lesbians in the military, which gets asked less often as the fighting begins in earnest, she said. "A less examined concern is whether gays and lesbians have an obligation to obey a military draft," she said. "By this I mean, are gays and lesbians a disadvantaged minority that has less obligation or no obligation to die for the state? Standing in a different relationship to the state may entail a different set of political obligations." She can be reached at (734) 615-9143 or jennetk@umich.edu

jdsinger@umich.edu