- Statement of Significance:
- Typically referred to as the most trusted man in America, Walter Cronkite, has predicted that policy actions in the next year or two have the potential to spark WWIII. As proliferation increases, tensions rise, and the US ponders action under a new, aggressive nuclear posture, responsible use/protection/reduction of the arsenal is of exponential importance. The topic has a special uniqueness in this time, and would be most effective to debate this year because of the vast amounts of literature that will be published and the changing state of international relations. Furthermore, the United States, the bastion of defensive responsibility, has "lost/misplaced" 11 nuclear weapons-and still has yet to find them. Numerous other countries report the same troubling issues and everberate the need for changing nuclear policies. This sad state of nuclear accountability as well and the vulnerability of the status quo to a nuclear holocaust are the two main warrants behind the significance of a nuclear security/policy debate.
- Yes...this topic is a. interesting, b. challenging, and c. provocative because:
- It sustains large (but still defined) ground for debate. North Korea, Russia, Syria, South Africa, Iraq and Iran are all potential case areas. Lose nukes, national missile defense, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, accidental launch, hair-trigger response issues, nuclear testing, potential terrorist possession, waste storage, plutonium/uranium sales, first strike policies, and nuclear power plants are also good policy debate areas. With all of these potential areas under a directed research paradigm of nuclear issues and analysis, the topic is challenging. Figuring out what actors can blow things up, projecting who is willing to do so, what alliances are involved, who might strike without warning, and what we can do to minimize the possibilities is infinitely interesting.
- Educational Value:
- The debate community tends to promote good citizenship through expanding the knowledge of its participants so that they possess the critical thinking skills and knowledge to make informed decisions on personal, communal, and national issues. Since nuclear security is a noticeably larger issue for the United States given the incomprehensible size of our arsenal and the power it holds, this type of knowledge and critical thinking becomes all the more important. The topic promotes in-depth knowledge of perhaps the most pertinent and dangerous issue to ever plague the arena of international relations. The debate community is an exceptional forum to open a marketplace for discourse on nuclear issues because of its heavy policy focus, comparative analysis, and research driven progression. Because there is so much literature and huge amounts of analysis are published daily, another educational advantage is that debaters are forced to be discretionary and knowledgeable about a large array of sources and publications.
- Sample Resolutions:
- Resolved that:
- The USFG should significantly alter its policy to increase international and/or domestic nuclear security.
- The USFG should significantly change its nuclear policy.
- The USFG should significantly alter its policy to promote disarmament.
- Selected Readings:
- http://www.psr.org/securhol.htm. Physicians for Social Responsibility. This page covers policy directives associated with the proposed topic.
- http://www.cdi.org/nuclear/security.cfm, Center for Defense Information--Leading experts highlight some of the most pressing points of the nuclear debate.
- The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs Journal, Winter/Spring, 2002, "SECURING THE HOMELAND: A New Deal on Disarmament: The Case for American Leadership in Combating Nuclear Proliferation." Stansfield, Turner. This is a good justification for having the US act to promote disarmament/non-prolif. policies.
- Nuclear Power and the Spread of Nuclear Weapons---Can We Have One without the Other? (Published by the Nuclear Control Institute, and edited by Levanthal, Tanzer, and Dolly. August, 2002.) This book was an excellent overview to proliferation issues, with some specific suggestions.
- The Coming Crisis: Nuclear Proliferation, U.S. Interests, and World Order(BCSIA Studies in International Security) by Victor A. Utgoff, Editor. This book contained quite a few different viewpoints from multiple experts and summarizes some of the issues that are key to the proposed topic.
Western Kentucky University