The final list of topic candidates for the 2011-2012 season is as follows:
1. Cyber Warfare: The United States federal government should establish rules of engagement governing its use of cyber warfare.
2. Southeast Asia: The United States federal government should substantially increase its development assistance to Southeast Asia.
3. Space: The United States federal government should substantially increase its exploration and/or development of space beyond the Earth’s mesosphere.
4. India: The United States federal government should substantially increase its cooperation with India in one or more of the following areas: civilian space programs, nuclear proliferation, trade.
5. China: The United States federal government should substantially increase its economic engagement with the People’s Republic of China on one or more of the following issues: trade, currency, environment.
This list will be voted on by schools throughout the country via the state and national debate organizations.
India topic seems really good
Space FTW
Does the United States currently use cyber warfare?
space would be awesome. A whole new level of Ashtar
@Choi
Yes. Wired.com has a good amount of information about the US's cyber warfare programs.
Cyber Warfare and Space are my favorite topics, although I think India is gonna win.
I fully support the India topic.
I also am disappointed that debt relief didn't make the cut – it would have been fun to render moot all the process arguments that get rehashed year after year, and the ostensibly merely technocratic IMF/World Bank rules can have profound and wide ranging consequences that would have been fun to debate.
@ Dan – I too was rooting for the debt relief topic. I think the problem is that there would be too much overlap with the Africa topic as all of the advantage areas are germane to that region.
My number one now is China. There are some seriously great advantage areas and unlike Space and Cyber Warfare, I feel like the literature here will be deeper and overall of a higher quality. This topic is also arguably just more relevant to everyday concerns policymakers are facing.
Anyone else feel that the space topic would be even more awesome if modified to allow for cooperation with other countries?
I am liking India and South East Asia.
@Parth Khatri
XD
The Space topic would be amazing, im sad though I wont be debating space next year (college). But topic education is so much more necessary with space, and there is a mix of util args and k's, unlike Cyber Warfare witch will be all Kritiks.
Didn't a topic a long time ago also have that space resolution?
Hands down China and India are by far the best resolutions.
The projected timeframes (by both debaters and authors) on both the affirmative and negatives will be radically off. Also, the neg. I think will have a radical timeframe advantage to impacts. On the flip side I think the 3 to 5 space cards people read now will be. (Asteroids & heidegger every round woo hoo!!!! Asteroids trump being and vice versa. Yeah debate…)
I don't know how learning more about the aliens will help make my life ANY better in 3 to 5 years. Also, China and India will both allow you to "go to space" if you so desire. The trade debates could be sweet from an economic & technology & industry sector stand point (you get to get your geek on if you so desire). Learning about China and India sounds like fun & the debates will be sick. Learning about China and India will give you a true competitive advantage as these two countries become economic and political powers. I