Group debates nuclear issues
February 23, 2010 by PATRICK HOOPER
Filed under News, Politics
Watch the words fly tonight when the Georgia Debate Union tackles the issue of nuclear arsenals.
The debate comes on the heels of the Global Zero campaign, launched in 2008, when over 100 international dignitaries came together to pledge an end to nuclear weapons.
The movement received support from President Barack Obama in 2009, and it was a major factor in his Nobel Peace Prize.
The debate, titled “Debating Global Zero: A World Without Nuclear Weapons,” is cosponsored by the Georgia Debate Union, Global Zero and the Roosevelt Institution.
“I’m pleased that that debate is now beginning in the U.S.,” said Gary Bertsch, a member of the three-man judging panel from the Center for International Trade and Security, a part of the larger School of Public and International Affairs.
“Disarmament is now a serious cause for debate,” said John Turner, a graduate student from Portland, Ore., and one of the two debaters.
Sitting opposite Turner will be Robert Mulholand, a graduate student from Celebration, Fla. Turner and Mulholand are long-time debate coaches and participants, but this is the first year for both in the Georgia Debate Union.
“I haven’t participated in a public debate before now,” said Mulholand, who is pursuing a master’s degree in rhetoric. “I’m excited to be able to go toe-to-toe with John.”
Mulholand will argue against disarmament, while Turner will take the opposite stance.
“I think our leaders are seeing that this nuclear proliferation is creating a more dangerous world,” Bertsch said. “We would all be better off with fewer nukes.”
In the years since the Cold War, leftover nuclear stockpiles have presented an entirely new problem of security and maintenance.
“That we have a large arsenal is a reason for proliferation,” said Ed Panetta, director of the Georgia Debate Union. “It’s a really frightening prospect.”
Although the nuclear issue usually surfaces relative to North Korea and Iran’s nuclear programs, Global Zero sets itself apart by urging a move toward disarmament from all nuclear powers.
“I hope it’s a more refined and nuanced understanding of U.S. nuclear weapon policy,” Mulholand said of the debate.
The debate is scheduled for tonight in room 150 of the Miller Learning Center from 8 to 9.
