Georgetown Debates: GU-Q Invites Doha to Attend Faculty and Student Debate

University students and professors from Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) and Qatar University will be teaming up for a public debate this Wednesday, the 10th of April, at 6:00 PM, hosted by GU-Q at their Education City campus. The topic of the debate will be the Rising Power of China, with one team defending the claim that China’s rise to power will pose a serious challenge to U.S. global dominance in the 21st Century, while the other team will be opposing the claim.

The debate moderator, Dr. Mehran Kamrava, Director of the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS), said “Debates present a time honoured tradition of rivalry, where the battlefield is a podium, and the weapons are words. While respect and politeness are always in play, the tension of each team’s effort to strategize a convincing argument on their assigned position on the topic of China’s hegemony, makes the debate format an engaging way to keep both our students, and members of the Doha community audience, informed about current events.”

Event organizer, Robert Wirsing, who is also Professor of International Relations at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (GU-Q), explained the importance of the chosen topic of the debate, saying “there has been a shift to the East in the global balance of power. As a result, America has seen a loss of its monopoly of global power in recent years. This is one of the most important developments in world politics, and it has a major impact on all regions of the world, the Middle East and the Gulf states among them. Our two teams will each be presenting their arguments in this political and economic context.”

The members of the “for the topic” debate team will be Dr. Jackie Armijo, Associate Professor, Department of International Affairs, Qatar University, and student Ms. Lubna Sharab, Class of 2013, GU-Q. On the “against the topic” side will be Dr. Steven Ward, Visiting Assistant Professor, GU-Q, and student Mr. David Daniel, Class of 2014, GU-Q.

This debate is part of the GEORGETOWN CONNECTS series, a community outreach effort by the School of Foreign Affairs in Qatar (GU-Q), and is part of a multi-event program which will include lectures and discussions focused on the issues surrounding China today. There will be an opportunity for audience involvement in the Q & A portion of the event. The debate will be followed by a light reception. This event is open to public. RSVP at sfsqevents@georgetown.edu.