The Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum Wording committee have officially finished constructing topics for the 2021-2022 season. According to the NSDA, “Member students and one chapter advisor per active school will vote for each topic one week prior to the topic release date.” Students and coaches may begin voting for the September/October LD & PF topics on August 1st, 2021. You can read more on the NSDA website, here. The potential topics are listed below.
Lincoln Douglas Debate 2021-2022 Potential Topics:
2021 September/October
- Resolved: The member nations of the World Trade Organization ought to reduce intellectual property protections for medicines.
- Resolved: The European Union ought to sanction member states that violate Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union.
- Resolved: The member states of the African Union ought to further advance the goal of continental integration.
2021 November/December
- Resolved: In the United States, the use of mandatory arbitration clauses as a condition of employment ought to be prohibited
- Resolved: A just government ought to recognize an unconditional right of workers to strike.
- Resolved: The United States ought to condition trade agreements on adherence to enforceable labor standards.
2022 January/February
- Resolved: States ought to ban gain-of-function research.
- Resolved: The United States ought to ban the use of germline genetic engineering in humans.
- Resolved: The appropriation of outer space by private entities is unjust.
2022 March/April
- Resolved: In the United States, single-family zoning ought to be abolished.
- Resolved: The United States ought to restrict the power of the Supreme Court to overturn federal law.
- Resolved: In a democracy, a free press ought to prioritize objectivity over advocacy.
2022 National Tournament
- Resolved: A people’s right to self-determination ought to take precedence over a state’s right to territorial integrity.
- Resolved: Radicalism is preferable to incrementalism to achieve social justice.
- Resolved: A nation’s obligation to mitigate climate change ought to be proportional to its historical emissions.
Public Forum Debate 2021-2022 Potential Topics:
2021 September/October – Europe
- Resolved: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization should substantially increase its defense commitments to the Baltic states.
- Resolved: The United States should substantially increase its economic engagement in the Western Balkans.
2021 November/December – Blockchain
- Resolved: Increased United States federal regulation of cryptocurrency transactions and/or assets will produce more benefits than harms.
- Resolved: The United States federal government should implement a central bank digital currency.
2022 January – U.S. Drug Policy
- Resolved: The United States federal government should legalize all illicit drugs.
- Resolved: In the United States, the benefits of drug courts outweigh the harms.
2022 February – International Organizations
- Resolved: The United Nations should admit the Republic of Somaliland as a member state.
- Resolved: On balance, Turkey’s membership is beneficial to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
2022 March – Sustainability
- Resolved: The United States should substantially increase its investment in carbon capture technology.
- Resolved: In the United States, the benefits of increasing organic agriculture outweigh the harms.
2022 April – East Asia
- Resolved: The People’s Republic of China should substantially decrease its control of state-owned enterprises.
- Resolved: Japan should revise Article 9 of its Constitution to develop offensive military capabilities.
2022 National Tournament – Trade
- Resolved: The United States should establish a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement with Taiwan.
- Resolved: On balance, the benefits of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership outweigh the harms.