2007-2008 Policy Debate Topic: AFRICA
- Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its public health assistance to Sub-Saharan Africa.
- There is perhaps no issue more timely and critical than the status of people living in poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa. While world attention has once again focused on this crisis, attention has not translated to sufficient action. Despite the promise of the G-8 to end African poverty, the World Development Movement calls the current solutions “a disaster for the world’s poor.” The public health problem in Africa is an essential topic, with current research and a wide array of potential solutions for both affirmatives and negatives to consider. Potential affirmatives on this topic include access to education and pharmaceuticals for AIDS, public health education of women and direct aid, and nutritional information — since it relates to public health. Negative ground will be preserved with a strong array of specific and broadly applicable arguments, including whether the United States is the best agent to engage with Sub-Saharan Africa as opposed to, for example, other African nations or the European Union or Asia. There are critique-based arguments of development, and the idea of colonialism. And there are a myriad of economic and international cooperation arguments and disadvantages. The resolution is confined by public health initiatives, since that encompasses much of the education and nutrition ground on which last year’s potential topic was focused. Given the important dimension of this problem for this and generations to come, there is no better topic for the brightest of our students to tackle. Debating this topic would provide students a unique opportunity to advocate solutions for people too often ignored in our policy discussions and debates, and give Africa the significance it deserves. (Adapted from NFL online)
2007- January/February L/D Debate Topic
- Resolved: The actions of corporations ought to be held to the same moral standards as the actions of individuals.
Topic Release Information
- L/D Debate topics available by calling NFL Hotline: (920)748-LD4U, or
- Check the NFL "Home" page: www.nflonline.org
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