“I Refuse” – conscientious objection as resistance against the state and the military
Military service ultimately shows whether a society is prepared to put the war plans of its
governments and military into practice or not. Germany supports
belligerent states in which this willingness is put to the test – above all
Ukraine and Israel.
Whether warfare – and German support for it – is being waged in the
sense of Ukrainian or Israeli society is perhaps most clearly demonstrated by the respective prevalence of conscientious objection in these countries.
And what is the German population’s readiness for war anyway?
At the International Munich Peace Conference 2026 (IMFK26), we will explore the
diverse meanings and possibilities of conscientious objection.
Backgrounds
Ukraine
The fact that the Ukrainian war is being waged in the interests of Ukrainian society can
at least be doubted. The devastated landscapes, bombed cities and
hundreds of thousands of injured and murdered speak against it – but are usually not
associated with its own military defense, but solely with the Russian
military invasion. However, the millions of Ukrainian men who are evading military service
indicate that their own military defense is no longer taking place in
their interests. Does this show the realization that military defence does not
serve to protect one’s own life, but to preserve the Ukrainian state?
Israel
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has not yet had a pronounced
recruitment or conscription problem. However, with the announcement of more and more
campaigns in Gaza, resistance is stirring within the IDF and among the reservists. The IDF
warns that the armed forces are exhausted; the Netanyahu government is risking
social support for the war by drawing more and more people into the
hopelessness it has created in Gaza. Additional pressure is created by
the international condemnation of the war, which is characterized as ethnic cleansing or genocide
– and not least by the tireless educational work of
Palestinian and Israeli opponents of the war and conscientious objectors such as
Breaking the Silence, Mesarvot and Combatants for Peace.
Germany
It makes little difference to German support for the war effort – the
German government does not ask Ukrainian reservists whether they would like to die on the front line with a German
assault rifle in their hands. But what happens if
German society does not support its own government’s preparations for war?
For a long time, German politicians had a virtually free hand when it came to preparing for war. By definition, all
pro-government or government-capable parties share the concern for
rearmament. Armament can therefore not be voted out of office – if it is even up for election
.
An outline of relevant evidence: election promises to limit
armaments ambitions are being broken on the left and right (“No weapons and armaments
to war zones!”; “I rule out […] softening the debt brake […]”). Other
decisions are not even up for debate (“Special funds for the Bundeswehr”;
stationing of nuclear-capable US medium-range missiles in Germany). Broad majorities
against keeping US nuclear bombs in Germany and against foreign deployments of the
Bundeswehr, which have been revealed in surveys for decades, remain inconsequential.
But when the German Minister of Defense plans to more than
double the size of the military (from around 182,000 active soldiers and 34,000 reservists to 260,000
active soldiers and 200,000 reservists), then society has a say
. Passive acceptance of breaking one’s word and disregarding the will of the voters
is not enough. Sufficient German citizens must actively
decide to do military service. So far, the opposite is happening; the military is shrinking, despite
an annual advertising budget of over 50 million euros and despite the recruitment
of thousands of child soldiers.
At the same time, the number of applications for conscientious objection under Article 4 (3) of the Basic Law is increasing significantly. The necessary consequence is compulsory military service, which has already been announced with the new version of “compulsory military service”. What will society’s reaction to this compulsion be?
Conscientious objection
As can be seen in Ukraine, Israel and Germany, conscientious objection
has many meanings and possibilities:
● Conscientious objection as a survival measure
● Conscientious objection as a crime-fighting measure
● Conscientious objection as a conflict prevention measure
In any case, it means one thing: conscientious objection as resistance to the state
and the military.
Relevance for the Munich Peace Conference 2026
The transnational support of conscientious objectors and deserters is a
topic that energizes the German peace movement and is directly relevant to both the current
discourse and the reality in war and conflict zones.
The relevance for the discourse in Germany arises from the ongoing
conscription/war service/mandatory service debate as well as the restrictions on the right to asylum and
the presence of hundreds of thousands of foreign conscientious objectors in Germany (e.g. from Ukraine and the USA).e.g.
from Ukraine and Turkey).
The relevance for the reality in war and conflict zones is also obvious.
Opponents of military service, especially conscientious objectors and deserters, are
marginalized and criminalized worldwide. At the same time, more and more armed conflicts
Für die Internationale Münchner Friedenskonferenz ist die Kriegsdienstverweigerung damit ein
ideales Thema. Die Relevanz ist sowohl für das heimische als auch das internationale
Publikum gegeben. Mit der Kriegsdienstverweigerung bieten wir zudem ein Thema, das für
Medien aller Art (traditionelle Medien, social media, etc.) unmittelbar ansprechend und
menschlich darstellbar ist. Egal, welche (geo)politischen Veränderungen sich noch vor der
IMFK26 abspielen, Kriegsdienstverweigerung wird unweigerlich ein relevantes Thema sein.
Die Kriegsdienstverweigerung bildet zudem einen idealen Gegenpol zur Sicherheitskonferenz.
Während bei der Sicherheitskonferenz Militär-, Politik- und Wirtschaftseliten beabsichtigen,
über das Schicksal von mehr oder weniger machtlosen Bevölkerung und Gesellschaft zu
entscheiden, nehmen eben diese vermeintlich machtlosen Menschen mit der
Kriegsdienstverweigerung ihr Schicksal selbst in die Hand.
Format
The central element of the evening programme is a panel consisting of KDV
associations/clubs/organizations/initiatives/personalities from Germany and from
countries in which wars in which Germany and its NATO partners are involved
are taking place.
The panelists should address the following topics in particular:
● Is there a legal basis for conscientious objection in their country and
if so, what is it?
● Is the right to conscientious objection granted in practice? How do
soldiers, conscientious objectors and deserters fare?
● What possibilities are there to strengthen the position of conscientious objectors
through international solidarity/cooperation?
● What does conscientious objection mean in the context of rearmament,
violations of international law and the automation of warfare?
In order to give the program a dynamic, the moderator should also raise questions,
which typically concern the opponents of conscientious objection, e.g.:
● Why should one not defend one’s country/society against an attack or occupation that is
contrary to international law?
● Is the call for conscientious objection not a call for capitulation?
● What are the alternatives to military defence? etc.?
A joint resolution could be drawn up in advance, for example calling on the heads of government and state gathered at the
security conference to recognize and respect the
human right to conscientious objection. The
resolution will then be presented and published at the end of the evening.
Guests/speakers
● from Germany
○ Simon David Dressler
○ Franz Nadler, Connection e.V.
● Palestine/Israel
○ Sofia Orr Mesarvot
● Ukraine/Russia
○ Timofy Vaskin, conscientious objector from Russia,
○ NN, conscientious objector from Ukraine
– Moderation: Kerem Schamberger, medico international
– Katharina Rottmayr-Czerny, Peace Tax Network
International Munich Peace Conference 2026
Friday, February 13, 2026, 7 – 9:30 p.m.
