Recently, at the University of Dallas, UD’s Young Americans for Freedom hosted a debate on US foreign policy. While on-campus discussions often revolve around domestic issues including economic policy, social and cultural issues and religion, the topic of US interventionism was found by many to make for a productive discussion.
The debate used the Braver Angels format, which emphasizes civil discussion and thought over “destroying” the other side, as perhaps is often seen in YouTube compilations.
The Braver Angels debate style affords the audience the opportunity to ask questions to the speakers. This format allows increased discussion and enhances the ability to understand and relate to both sides.
The resolution was “US Involvement in Ongoing Foreign Conflicts is Justified.” The defense argued that the United States’ interests lie in defending other countries for both the good of American citizens and western civilization, while the prosecution argued that the United States’ involvement should be either a decisive strike to prevent a conflict from being drawn out or no involvement at all.
The general consensus among students attending was that the debate was productive in terms of informing the audience. Even though there were no official winners of the debate, many students felt they had benefited in terms of increasing their knowledge and seeing issues through a different perspective.
Liam Ritter, sophomore politics major, said, “The discussion of American foreign policy is one which is rarely addressed on campus. I was very pleased that YAF was able to put together an informative and civil debate on the topic. I came away from it having gained insight into how both parties perceive foreign politics and with renewed confidence that polite debate in America is not only still possible, but is a positive good.”
Similarly, Sam Korkus, sophomore English major, said, “It was a great debate that showed me that there is not an insurmountable divide between people’s opinions as I thought. I loved hearing such differing and convincing arguments from both sides. I was especially happy to see how many people take this topic seriously enough to show up to the event.”
Foreign affairs can be difficult to keep up-to-date on, especially due to the sheer volume of events happening daily around the world.
Given the chaos and endless stream of news, it can be beneficial for UD students to engage in discussions relating to broad and off-campus topics.
Debates like these offer UD students the opportunity to engage seriously in civil discussions with others, even if there might be significant disagreements revolving around a specific issue. Together, both UD and YAF hope to encourage and foster continued dialogue on polarizing issues, centered on respect and the search for truth.