I'm not sure whether if the members of the EDS or the past members(alumni) could see this post, but I definitely think that EDS is a club full of opportunities. (especially regarding the recent uploads)

 

   What do I mean by this? In this week so far (today is Thursday) EDS called for presence three times in a row (2 hours each-self study period). Whereas my roommates called me "poor guy", I do not regret entering the club. I feel that my English proficiency has really improved(especially speaking and logic).
 
   Yes, the English Debate Society definitely requires some devotion for it. It takes away at least three self study periods per week (sum of six hours) and recently, the captain assigned some homework for the 18th wavers just before the vision trip - which implicitly told them to do the work at the hotel in U.S. or Europe. It was demanding indeed - you'll see when you take a look at the recent posts I uploaded. I wrote all of them when I arrived at the hotel (holiday Inn) at night, about three to four posts per day. But undoubtedly, "no pain, no gain".

   Surely, EDS offers a lot of opportunities for the members by enabling them to participate in tournaments and world-class competitions. The May invitational tournament held by the Korea National Forensics League was the first contest that the 1st graders applied to, and it was successful - including the champion prize that one of us recieved. However, this is not the point. I believe that EDS grants you enough presents within the club - for instance, handing in homework with great quality & keeping due dates. It is really difficult to devote you time and effort into every activity, but if you do so, you get what you deserve - which isn't a chance that everyone has.

   I love this club.

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This house believes that the West should keep out of the Arab world's revolutions.

<EDS Case Sharing> - Jason Rhee

 

This house believes that the West should keep out of the Arab world's revolutions.

 

 

Prop.

 

Definition

TH – World

West – countries like US or NATO

Keep out – not intervening

Revolutions – protests (both peaceful and violent) for democracy or pulling down the government

 

u  Serves for Western desires only

è   Western governments, or "the West", never intervene in the Middle East without pursing the tiniest bit of self-interest

ü   Western armies, since the days of Napoleon, descend on the region uninvited, promising reforms and change that are never consistent with people's aspirations and desires.

ü   And the promises never happen

è   Historic evidences

ü   Not even clear that the Libyan tyrant killed more of his people than Hosni Mubarak or Zine El Abidine Ben Ali

ü   But Western governments exhibit more concern for civilians in countries rich with oil or gas, as it happens)

²    Iraq and Bush

²     

 

u  Triggers even more civilian casualties

è   Lessons from history

ü   Hundreds of demonstrators have been killed in Tunisia, Yemen and Egypt, yes.

ü   But Western intervention only grew the civilian casualties by undergoing ridiculous missions

ü   more than 400 civilians were killed by NATO forces in Afghanistan in the past year alone—and NATO commanders were bragging that the figure represented a decline from previous years

ü    

è   No purpose left

ü   The West says that such losses were inevitable for “democracy”

ü   But whose democracy are we talking about here?

²    Without life, whatever kind of ideology is meaningless

²    Besides, Arab did not even ask for intervention

è   Wrongdoings of Western armies

ü   As reported in various medias, the inhumane actions done by (for ex, US army in Iraq : A helicopter firing at a crowd of civilians) is likely to happen again

è   Some American publications even tried to give credit for the Arab waves of democracy either to a retired professor in Boston or to workshops attended by some Egyptian youths.

u  Obvious Anti-West movements

è   Why would the American or other Western governments be eager to intervene in the region when they are clearly opposed and detested by the Arab people?

ü   IT brings:

²    Ineffectiveness of intervention

²    Provokes even more Anti movements

ü   Therefore there are only harms for the West for themselves

 

.

 

Opp.

 

u  Greatly beneficial for the Arab people

è   IT would be great if the Arab people could accomplish the revolutions all by themselves

è   But in reality, they are not quite able to

è   That’s why to pursue democracy, intervention is there for them

ü   create a vacuum which others less well disposed to our interests would be eager to fill

ü   Democratic government, freedom of assembly and expression, and respect for the rule

è   Fulfills the desires of the Arab people in a long perspective

è   If no intervention, the people will end up being harassed and tortured and eventually slaughtered by dictators, like what happened in Libya before NATO intervened

 

u  Exaggeration of civilian casualties

è   Civilian casualties occur, yes

è   But it is necessary for a greater good

ü   Purses democracy for exchange

è   And if there is no intervention, people will only suffer more and die more from the powerful army of the government

ü   @Long term perspective!!

è   And actually, it isn’t that harmful

ü   Compared to the expected amount of people who will continue to die, military intervention is rather a bargain

u  Beneficial for the West as also

è   Exhibit their participation into the world

ü   Creates a sound atmosphere within the country(the Western ones)

ü   And the world, too

è   Able to receive benefits in return that the West does not have

ü   France receiving right to develop oil fields from Libya

ü   And this is legitimate(Give and Take)

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This house believes that subsidising renewable energy is a good way to wean the world off fossil fuels

Issue : Renewable Energy

 

This house believes that subsidising renewable energy is a good way to wean the world off fossil fuels.

 

Definition

TH- World

Subsidise – incentivize the companies and governments participating in sth and encourage them

Renewable energy – energies like nuclear or solar or wind

Wean off- get rid off sth while having some kind of alternative

Prop.

 

u  World Future

è   Big necessity of pulling down CO2 emissions

ü   Must reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050 in order to avoid dangerous risks to the environment and ourselves

è   Cleary, fossil fuels are one of the biggest factors that triggered this urgency

ü   Continuous use of fossil fuels will bring catastrophic results

è   Carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems (Which are currently utilized in this era of fossil fuels) cannot do the job.

ü   They may reduce direct emissions from coal and gas plants by nearly 90%, but other steps in the supply chain would increase these emissions several-fold.

ü    For example, large amounts of methane are released whenever coal is mined or oil fields are developed On a life-cycle basis, most of our coal and oil consumption will need to be replaced by something else.

u  Availability of Renewable Energy

è   Nuclear Power

ü   Without the massive amount of energy that nuclear power plants provide, humanity have and will be able to last its existence

è   Wind and solar power

ü    These have life-cycle carbon emissions 90-98% lower than today's fossil-fuel plants.

ü   Wind power is available on the same scale as our electricity demand

ü   Solar power could meet our demand nearly 1,000 times over.

u  Bright future of Renewable energy

 

è   Economically

ü   Renewable power is poised to become the next new trillion-dollar industry, and the countries that grow strong in this area will gain the most in employment and GDP.

²    creates more jobs than fossil fuels

è   Price of Renewables

ü    Utilizing external incentives.

A.    One option would be a carbon-focused policy, such as a carbon tax or emission-trading system.

B.    Crystallise our willingness to pay for renewable energy in a form that project developers can literally "take to the bank".

 

Opp.

 

u  Inferiority of Renewable energy

è   Great Hinderances of Renewables

ü   Wind power: not industrial-grade energy

²    Cannot be efficiently transferred for the machines and factories

ü   Wind power: land-constrained

²    Highly depends on land situation – limited amount of production

ü   Biomass: land limited

²    Also way too depending on land situations

ü   "We cannot revert to timber fuel, for 'nearly the entire surface of our island would be required to grow timber sufficient for the consumption of the iron manufacture alone”

è   Hydropower: unreliable

ü   Too much depends on water situations & there are so little amount of places that satisfies the requirements of Hydropower

è   everything depends upon local circumstances.

ü   For instance, many streams and rivers only contain sufficient water half the year round and costly reservoirs alone could keep up the summer supply.

 

u  Contradicts to Market economy

è   Let consumers determine winners and losers.

ü   Wind and solar, in particular, cannot power a modern society and require fossil-fuel blending to play even a limited role. IF this is true, consumers will not buy them anyways.

ü   Same if fossil fuels are the ones that are inferior

è   Additionally, the alleged market failure of fossil fuels should be revisited in the light of the economic failure and government failure associated with coercive energy planning.

è   Efficient energies are those naturally chosen by consumers who know their needs better than an intelligentsia and/or central planners.

 

 

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