The Motivation to Enlist Among Kurds

Abstract

Although humans have voluntarily joined militaries throughout history, research on the motivation to enlist has increased dramatically since the adoption of the All-Volunteer Force in the United States. Moskos categorized the motivations to enlist as institutional (the value alignment of the individual with the military) or occupational (the seeking of monetary rewards for competencies at market rates). This study explores the prevalence of these two traditional motivations in addition to two less commonly studied motivations—group mobilization and revenge-seeking—in an important context: the Kurds of northern Iraq. A survey of 2301 Kurdish soldiers (Peshmerga) during their war against the Islamic State (IS) indicates that institutional motivations are the most prevalent, although all four motivations are present. The importance of group mobilization and revenge-seeking represent important variations from the better-studied Western contexts that complicate our understanding of the motivation to enlist.

Rosie the Riveter, Vera the Volunteer: Sexism, Racism, and Female Enlistment in World War II

“…Existing research on the determinants of wartime volunteerism focuses on two factors: institutional (intrinsic) and occupational (extrinsic) motivators (Moskos 1977). Scholars have found that these motivations often operate in conjunction (Cancian 2021; Eighmey 2006; Humphreys and Weinstein 2008). Furthermore, we suggest that “push and pull” factors influencing decisions to volunteer for military service operate within a broader structural and societal context.…”