Debate Briefs
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Death to the Grid? Analysis of the September-October PF Topic
A discussion about the Public Forum September-October Topic, “Resolved: The United States federal government should enact a moratorium on hyperscale data center construction.”
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Affirmatives and Disadvantages on the 26-27 CX Topic
In the 2026-2027 policy debate topic, “Resolved: The United States federal government should establish national health insurance in the United States,” debaters are able to delve into the affordability crisis in America. The topic is small, yet vibrant, and there is certainly key arguments to…
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Analysis: Arguments Surrounding Civil Liberties and National Security
Read about how to debate the new Lincoln Douglas topic, “Resolved: Democracies ought to prioritize the protection of civil liberties over national security,” for the 2026 National Speech and Debate Tournament.
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Analysis: The Role of U.S. Intervention Against Authoritarianism
Read about how to debate the new Public Forum topic, “Resolved: The United States is justified in using force to remove authoritarian leaders from power,” for the 2026 National Speech and Debate Tournament.
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Analysis: NSDA Nationals & Framing Debates
General policy debates in the status quo center around a utilitarian framework, maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. However, NSDA takes a different approach with a large pool of lay judges, creating the soft-left affirmative strategy.
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Analysis: U.S Arctic Policymaking Under President Donald Trump and How it Affects Debates
Ever since Donald Trump was sworn into the Oval Office, he has made dramatic shifts in U.S. posture towards the arctic. As he has taken multiple executive actions, the arctic’s geopolitics and regional development have adapted alongside them.
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Analysis: The Impacts of Presidential Unilateralism on US Power Projection and Reliability
Trump’s erratic policy decisions and statements have driven deep wedges between allies, attracted criticism from leaders around the world, and eroded the moral authority of the US. The negative consequences of his words and actions stem from an abuse of power in the form of…
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Analysis: What the Principle of Non-Intervention Means for the United States Military
It is evident that the U.S military’s both past and current forms of intervention in other nations is an important controversy. It is important to thoroughly research both sides on the topic to understand the intricate nuances of each scenario.
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Analysis: The Role of Unilateral Executive Deployments in Creating “Forever Wars”
When it comes to war, the Constitution is very clear: only Congress has the power to declare war. Still, this “limitation” allows the President, as Commander-in-Chief, to direct the military to operate.
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Iranian Minab Girls’ School Destroyed in Strike, Killing Hundreds
The Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school was a two-story building housing girls aged 7 to 12. It was decimated during the strike, killing between 165 and 180 people, a majority of whom were children attending the school.
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U.S. Urges Allies to Move to Secure Strait of Hormuz
Iranian attacks on ships and maritime infrastructure have disrupted ships passing through the strait, sending global oil prices above $100 per barrel and raising fears of a major energy shock.
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American Refueling Plane Crashes in Iraq
On Friday, amid rising tensions with Iran, six United States service members were killed when their KC-135 refueling plane crashed in Western Iraq. The American death toll in the Iran war has now risen to 13.
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PF Topic Analysis: Presidential War Powers vs Congress’s Role
The current topic covers a wide range of time periods: past, present, and future. In order to gain a better understanding of this topic, debaters should explore topics such as presidential unilateralism and constitutional debates over presidential war powers.
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U.S. Troops One Foot into Ecuador
On Tuesday, Ecuadorian and United States military forces began a joint operation domestically to combat international terrorist organizations. This is part of a building movement to reduce the trade of drugs internationally, particularly in Latin America.
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The Death of “America First” Through Trump’s Waging War on Iran
Though it has been speculated that if a recession ensues, the Trump Administration could utilize resources from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the current inventory of the reserve is only roughly 415 million barrels of oil, which would likely be outstripped by these economic offsets. Despite the American people supporting…
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Conversations with a Settler Colonialism Scholar
A reporter reached out to Dr. Phil Henderson to get a more nuanced view on the impacts of settler colonialism in the United States.
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LD Topic Analysis: The Principle of Non-Intervention and the US Military
A discussion of the Affirmative Side of the March/April LD Topic: Resolved: The United States military ought to abide by the principle of non-intervention.
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Nuclear Weapons and Colonialism
Nuclear weapons have had a history of being intertwined with the legacy of colonialism. Read about how nuclear colonialism can be utilized in affirmative arguments for the January/February LD topic.
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PF Topic Analysis: China’s International Mining on the Global Playscape
China dominates the natural resource extraction industry. Audrey Han provides aff and neg argument ideas for the Jan/Feb PF topic.
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Analysis: Trump’s Threats to Greenland Give Pressing Uniqueness and Inherent Value to the Arctic Debate
President Trump has said that if he fails to take Greenland “the easy way,” then he will take it “the hard way.” This continued geopolitical uncertainty has multiple implications for arguments regarding the policy topic.
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Analysis: Arguments for Nuclear Weapons
While deterring great power conflict is an obvious point for LD’s nuclear weapons topic, arguments ranging from bioweapons disadvantage, asteroids, and defense spending are equally viable.