SEA Topic Wordings

[Dallas Perkins <dperkins@husc.harvard.edu>]

Tom Jewell notes that "change foreign policy" is too broad, citing Mexico
topic.  Sparacino agrees.
Doyle notes that Sparacino's preferred wording, "change trade policy," is
too broad.
I agree.  At the NDT the year Doyle mentions, we ran a case to reverse a
decision of the US govt to apply sanctions against Motorola in an unfair
trade practice case.  The sanctions involved had made it no longer
profitable for Motorola to import into the US a unique set of radio
equipment used on ambulances.  Without these radios, people were dying in
the streets awaiting EMS.  A dozen or so a year, big sig.

People did go for substantial T, most notably Derek Gaffrey of Wayne
State, a formiddable T debater.  The two Harvard freshmen took him down
3-0.

We had a couple more of those little jewels in the can when we checked
out.  The point is that Doyle is correct:  trade policy is very broad.
Subsidies are topical, and that is pretty much the same as aid, so the aff
can often give the equivalent of development assistance, or even security
assistance (subsidies for the purchase of military aircraft?)  Since trade
is our main intercourse with the subject countries, trade policy sort of
becomes our entire foreign policy, at least short of direct military
intervention or formal security commitments.

I will add to this gloomy assessment that I don't think "development
assistance" or some such term will be very limited either.  While we may
not give much assistance now, the aff will surely be able to come up with
an infinite variety of worthy projects.  And the term itself is not easily
limited:  The last time NDT used it, Northwestern sold nuclear power
plants commercially, and Texas sent F-16.

It seems to me that real limitation is going to require some serious
thinking and creativity.  As of now, I have no firm suggestions, except
perhaps to go beyond the historical formulations we know to have been
failures at limitation.

dp

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