Thx, SBF, for the link/paper. Some thoughts:
1. The social gospel stance of the two authors not only comes through clearly, but it's been published by George Fox Univ., which, while now officially claiming otherwise, is still tied to its Quaker roots. This is no accident.
2. It was written in Jan. of 2021, just prior to the more complete invasion of Russia that has caused such consternation in Western Europe and the USA. Therefore, it still does not address the question in my OP: what is going on with the Witnesses there and their application of alternative service in an active war setting? It was one thing for the GB to theoretically green light an option like this for the R&F. It's quite another to apply it in wartime. Due to simple chronology the paper is useless on the issue.
3. The authors do not seem to grasp how important certain NT teachings are to the GB and many R&F Witnesses, such as being no part of the world and getting out of Babylon the Great. The authors have this 'hopeful monster' view that somehow Witnesses are going to join the greater religious community in general. They might as well expect the pope to give up the mass!
All that said, again, the link is appreciated. However, the org has seen fit to keep almost everything having to do with the Witnesses in the Ukraine during this war under tight wraps. Isn't that fact alone suspicious?
Last month the Ukrainian government lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25. This fact will put pressure on more young Witnesses to leave the country or make them liable to this theoretical alternative service, whatever that is supposed to be.
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-conscription-mobilization-251058a942a253f3eaec2c53373adf03#:~:text=KYIV%2C%20Ukraine%20(AP)%20—,depleted%20ranks%20with%20new%20conscripts.