Debate motions from 2026

Closed-community reality TV shows follow outsiders or insiders entering closed religious communities (e.g., the Amish community) to show how strict beliefs, rules, and lifestyles shape everyday life.

Evangelism is the process through which churches recruits followers. Churches typically adopt one of two approaches when first approaching potential members. The Relational Approach seeks to attract and retain followers primarily through emphasizing the friendships, community, and social support that religious participation can provide. The Proclamation Approach seeks to attract and retain followers primarily through establishing affinity between the individual and the divine. Common ways include proclamation of the gospel (e.g., sharing that Jesus atoned for humanity's sins through His sacrifice), Catechism, etc.

A "manadult" refers to a male partner who actively practices anti-patriarchal maturity. The 'manadult' framework focuses on 5 charateristics: independent deconstruction of patriarchy rather than relying on women to educate him, seeking and accepting feminist feedback, consuming women's media, proactively taking on care labour (e.g., household chores, emotional support), and emotionally diverse friendships.

In China, publicly traded companies may face mandatory delisting for reasons including major financial fraud, sustained losses, insolvency, or low trading volume. Firms identified to have serious financial or compliance risks are often flagged as risky for several years before possible delisting. China's largest equity market historically delisted less than 0.3% of its companies per year. For the purposes of this debate, "lowering the threshold for mandatory delisting" means expanding the circumstances under which companies are required to leave public exchanges and allowing regulators to delist companies more readily.

Project Stargate is an American artificial intelligence infrastructure joint venture created by OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle, and investment firm MGX, with technology partners including Microsoft, Nvidia, and Arm, announced at the White House on January 21, 2025, by President Trump. The venture plans to invest up to US$500 billion in AI data centers and related infrastructure in the United States by 2029, beginning with an initial US$100 billion phase.

Accreditation is the review system that determines whether colleges and programs meet acceptable standards. Receiving accredited status is usually necessary for access to government funding or student loans.

In the grade-specialization model, teachers repeatedly teach the same grade level each year (e.g., always teaching 10th grade students), but teach different cohorts over time. In the cohort-continuity model, teachers move up through school with the same group of students over multiple years (e.g., teaching the same class from 10th to 12th grade).

The Gaokao, China's national university entrance examination, is currently administered with substantial regional variation. Students generally take the examination in their home province, and universities allocate admission quotas for each different region. Different regions differ in subjects, difficulty, scoring systems, and examination formats. Students are primarily evaluated relative to others within their own provincial system.

World Liberty Financial (WLF) is a decentralized finance, or DeFi, project that provides crypto-based financial services such as lending, borrowing, and stablecoin-related products. WLFI is WLF's own governance token, which is tied to participation in the ecosystem and allows holders to vote on certain decisions within the platform. At the same time, WLFI is also a financial asset that has increasingly been used as collateral in WLF-linked lending, borrowing, and liquidity arrangements within its DeFi ecosystem.

The tokenization of financial markets refers to the use of digital tokens—recorded on blockchain networks—to represent ownership of financial assets such as equity, bonds, or real estate. Financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase have developed token-based payment and settlement systems.

U.S. crypto regulation is currently split between the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodities Future Trading Commission (CFTC), with many digital assets classified case by case through enforcement, guidance, and litigation. A commodities-market model, enforced by the CFTC, focuses on exchange oversight, custody, market integrity, and anti-manipulation rules (e.g. in gold or oil markets). On the other hand, an investor-protection model, enforced by the SEC, focuses on issuer disclosures, registration, and safeguards for buyers investing in projects that promise returns (e.g. in stock markets).

In a Presidential system, the President is directly elected by the people, and acts as both Head of State and Head of Government. The executive branch is completely separate from the legislature. In a Parliamentary system, the Prime Minister, who is the Head of Government, is not directly elected by the public but is the leader of the majority party or coalition in Parliament.

Kishore Mahbubani and Bilahari Kausikan are two prominent Singaporean foreign policy thinkers. Kishore argues small states must always be conscious of their limitations, exercising caution and restraint in public positions so as not to unnecessarily antagonise great powers. Bilahari advocates for small states to stand firm on sovereignity and international law, fiercely safeguarding national interests regardless of how great powers may feel.

The Cambodia–Thailand maritime dispute centres on an Overlapping Claims Area (OCA) in the Gulf of Thailand. In 2001, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU-44) to provide a framework for resolving the boundary and jointly developing the energy resources. However, in May 2026, Thailand's government unilaterally terminated MOU-44. On June 2, 2026, Prime Minister Hun Manet formally notified both Thailand and the UN Secretary-General that Cambodia was invoking compulsory conciliation under UNCLOS Annex V, Section 2. This mechanism creates a conciliation commission to hear both sides, examine the facts and legal arguments, and issue recommendations.

The Bangsomoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) is a special autonomous region in the southern Philippines created to give Muslim-majority areas stronger self-government. Sulu is an island province with a Muslim- majority population. In the 2019 plebiscite on the law creating BARMM, 54% of Sulu's population voted against the law. In 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that Sulu's "No" vote had to be respected, so the province was removed from BARMM and placed under Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula), with a dominantly Christian-majority population. Zamboanga Peninsula is one of the nearest regular administrative regions to Sulu, with Zamboanga City serving as a major transport, trade, port, and service hub for the Sulu Archipelago.

The US shale boom refers to the massive surge in oil and natural gas production in the United States, driven by advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing since 2010.

Liberalism in international relations (IR) is a theoretical perspective emphasizing that states can achieve cooperation, mutual benefits, and peace through international institutions, and economic interdependence.

Roster dating is the modern practice of casually dating or talking to multiple people simultaneously to keep options open, rather than focusing on one person.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional men's cricket league. In this league, teams acquire players mainly through an annual auction. In an annual auction, players are listed with a base price, and teams bid for them, with the highest bidder securing the player's services. Franchises must operate within a salary cap and squad size limits. A Mega Auction is a special form of the annual auction held every 3-4 years. It serves as a complete squad reset where teams can retain only a small core of 4-6 players. In contrast, the regular annual auction does not restrict teams from retaining as many players.

Coaching models prioritizing extrinsic motivation are models which reward or punish athletes based on their performance. Coaching models which prioritize intrinsic motivation are models which focus on increasing inherent satisfaction when engaging in the sport, e.g. enjoying the sport, serving the team.

In hero-shooter games like Valorant and Marvel Rivals, team composition depends on a mixture of roles and characters. A support main usually helps the team through utility like flashes, recon, smokes, healing, site control, or defensive setups rather than being the primary player expected to kill. A Duelist, by contrast, is an aggressive role built to take first contact, enter contested areas, create space, and win fights. Duelists are expected to seek early engagements and get high-value kills, which requires quick reflexes and reaction times.

Minmaxxing means optimizing something by maximizing its strengths and minimizing or ignoring its weaknesses. It's often used to describe approaches to life, work, fitness, dating, or productivity.

For the past 15 years, West Bengal had been ruled by a populist leader named Mamata Bannerjee from the regional party TMC. Recently, she lost the State elections in a landslide to the BJP.

Kiasuism is a cultural phenomenon derived from the Hokkien word "kiasu" (驚輸), which means "afraid to lose." It describes a pervasive social mindset characterised by an intense fear of missing out, losing, or being worse off than others.

The government finances clean energy in two main ways. The Loan Programs Office (LPO) directly lends government money to clean energy projects. The tax credit model, most prominently used in the IRA, instead reduces the tax liability of companies that deploy qualifying clean energy assets like solar farms or electric vehicles.

The ASEAN Power Grid (APG) is a regional initiative aimed at interconnecting the national power systems of Southeast Asian countries.

In many languages, masculine forms are often used when gender is not specified. Two main approaches aim to make language more inclusive. Feminisation makes women more visible by naming women and men equally. For example, instead of saying "the applicant… he," one might say "the applicant… he or she." Other examples include using split forms such as "Vegetarier/innen" in German to encompass both "Vegetarier" (the male form) and "Vegetarierinnen" (the female form). Neutralisation reduces the focus on gender by using gender-neutral words and pronouns. For example, Swedish uses "hen" as a neutral alternative to "hon" and "han," while Norwegian has moved away from some feminine suffixes.

There is an ongoing discussion on whether the State should regulate who gets to have children and start a family. Famous propositions that push this are the issuance of a Parent License to deserving couples based on a state- mandated set of standards.

Realism as a theory in International Relations emphasizes 2 things: (1) states are inherently self-interested and will prioritize their own domestic security, and (2) there is no global governing institution that can restrain or keep states in check.

The ASEAN believes in non-interference and quiet diplomacy that's why all decisions made by ASEAN are consensus-based. This means that all member-states need to come to an agreement before a decision is ratified. This framework is called the "ASEAN way". There have been multiple instances of ASEAN member states being in conflict with each other (i.e Thailand-Cambodia border disputes, PH-Vietnam-Malaysia-Brunei overlapping claims over the South China Sea, etc). In these instances, ASEAN takes a neutral observer position in respect to the principle of non-interference and the ASEAN way.

The ornamental fish industry is the global trade of fish and other aquatic animals kept for decorative aquariums, sourced through both captive breeding and wild capture. Most freshwater ornamental fish are bred in captivity, while many marine species are wild-caught.

Regulated trophy hunting is the controlled hunting of certain animal species under government or wildlife authority rules. Hunters typically pay fees or obtain licenses that limit the number and type of animals taken. This practice is often implemented in regions with populations of large or iconic wildlife, such as Africa and North America.

Psychological assessments are standardized tests used to evaluate a person's cognitive abilities, personality traits, and emotional functioning. They are commonly used in education, employment, and clinical settings to understand strengths, and weaknesses.

Filipino pride refers to a sense of national identity and pride in Filipino culture, achievements, and heritage. It celebrates the country's history, values, arts, and resilience, fostering unity and recognition of the Philippines on both local and global stages.

Utang na loob is a Filipino social value centered on gratitude and reciprocity, where individuals feel a moral obligation to return favors or kindness received. It promotes social cohesion and mutual support, but also raises broader questions about pressure, obligation, and fairness in personal, political, and institutional relationships.

Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) are financial organizations that provide banking services to low-income individuals or groups who are otherwise excluded from traditional banking systems due to poverty, lack of collateral, or unverifiable credit history. Notable examples of MFIs include Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. Microfinance (RAFI MFI), Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD), Negros Women for Tomorrow foundation (NWTF), and others.

A Cooperative is a business structure owned and democratically controlled by its members who use or work for the organization. Unlike corporations, voting power is equal (""one member, one vote"") regardless of investment size, and profits are returned to members based on usage rather than share ownership. This model prioritizes member welfare and local community reinvestment. A Corporation is a business structure owned and financially controlled by shareholders who invest capital in the organization. Unlike cooperatives, voting power is proportional to wealth ('one share, one vote') regardless of active participation, and profits are returned to shareholders based on ownership stake rather than usage. This model prioritizes maximizing shareholder value and return on investment.

The 15-minute city is an urban planning model where residents can access essential daily needs—work, housing, food, health, education, and culture—within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from their home.

Third spaces are social environments outside of home and the workplace where people gather, connect, and build community. This looks like cafés, community centers, parks, libraries, and coworking spaces.

You discover a new realm that is completely untainted with any human activity and contains a wide variety of unknown organisms. Its inhabitants are non- human and have a perfect symbiotic relationship with their environment where their existence does not harm their realm at all.

The "Deserve Ko 'To" mentality is a cultural phenomenon where Filipino consumers justify spending on non-essentials (premium coffee, gadgets, or travel) as a necessary emotional reward for their hard work and daily struggles.

Stocks represent a fractional ownership interest in a corporation. When you purchase a share, you become a partial owner (shareholder) with a claim on the company's assets and potential earnings. Bonds function as a loan from an investor to a borrower, such as a corporation or government. When you buy a bond, you become a creditor, and the bond certificate. The issuer is legally obligated to pay you a fixed rate of interest (coupon) at regular intervals and return the principal amount (face value) on a specific maturity date.

Pride Month, observed every June, recognizes the history, identities, and ongoing struggles of LGBTQ+ communities, promoting values of equality, dignity, and inclusion. It serves both as a celebration of diversity and a reminder of the continuing need to address discrimination and unequal treatment in society.

Women-only spaces refer to environments created to support women's safety, dignity, and participation by addressing historical and structural inequalities. They are often justified as a means of protection, empowerment, and inclusion, while also raising broader debates about equality, access, and how societies balance competing rights.

An organic encounter in dating is the act of meeting a potential partner naturally in the real world, without the assistance of apps, websites, or algorithms. These meetings typically occur spontaneously during everyday life, such as being introduced by a mutual friend, striking up a conversation at a coffee shop, or connecting through a shared hobby.

Mr. Peabody is a highly intelligent, talking dog who is known as an inventor, scientist, Nobel Prize winner, chef, and Olympic athlete. Despite being a dog, he possesses human-level intelligence and lives as a respected member of society. Mr. Peabody wants to adopt a human boy named Sherman after Sherman is left without parents.

The US government has since the start of it's ICE campaign, often used songs of popular celebrities to promote it's immigration campaigns. While popular musical celebrities like SZA, Sabrina Carpenter, and MGMT have publicly condemned this action and asked the songs be taken down for either political or copyright related reasons. Other artists like Taylor Swift have remained silent nor issued any public statements on the use of their songs by the Unted States government.

Christian nationalism is a political and ideological belief that a nation should be closely connected to Christianity in its laws, identity, and government. Supporters believe the country was founded as a Christian nation (or should become one) and that Christian values should guide public policy and national life.

Historically, religious figures like the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and the Catholic Popes have been central figures in the quest for world peace. Their involvement in conflict resolution, humanitarian crises and others often involve peace negotiations, religous messaging to address these conflicts, meetings with world leaders, amongst so many others.

Charles was born religious. He personally had negative experiences in the church that began his arc towards becoming atheist. He lived a lonely life dedicated to his research of disproving God. He is now an established scientist with uncontestable proof to the inexistance of God. A few years later, Charles is married and lives in a religious town with healthy commmunity and moral values. He has friends in the church and regulary attends church activities. He feels like he belongs to a family.

AI military technology is becoming very popular as countries are looking for ways to ensure safety protocols when I using services provided by large AI military tech companies like Anthropic,Open AI, Shield AI etc

"An economic bubble is a market phenomenon characterized by rapid, unsustainable surges in asset prices far exceeding their intrinsic value, driven by investor euphoria and speculation. Bubbles often form due to easy credit or over-optimism and typically end in a sharp decline in value, known as a ""crash"" or ""bursting,"" which can lead to broader financial crises. "

"Ye FKA Kanye West, is an American rapper, record producer, and very influential black business man. Over the years, he has increasingly proven to be a very controversial figure within the modern media. His controversies spark from his affiliation with Trump and MAGA, his anti-semitic comments, as well as his harsh critique on black American culture. This has led to countless cancellations online, brand deals ending, and a very strained relationship with a large part of the black and hip-hop community. At the start of the year, Ye issued a public apology ahead of the release of his fourthcoming album, 'Bully"" which is scheduled to drop in March of 2026. In the apology, he directed a series of apologies to his family, as well as the Jewish and Black communities."

"""AI generated content is becoming popular in pop culture and the music industry because of the rise in AI recordings ( using apps like Suno and Aviva), AI regenerated music to change genres of original songs( e.g French artist Stromea's song papaoutai recreated from pop to Afro fusion & Nigeria song writer Fave changing her song """"INTENTIONS"""" from Afro pop to Afro choir because of the Ai generated version of the song being a choir version sounded better to her audience) and integration of such content in cultural moments Like Drake's 2024 Taylor freestyles diss track to Kendrick Lamar using AI generated voice of late hip hop icon Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg."""

The African Cup of Nations (AFCON) unlike a lot of major football tournaments is held every two years (biennal). In December 2025, Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced that it was going to be changed to be held every four years (quadriennal) to align with the global football calendar while introducing the annual African Nations League to maximize participation of top African players.

"""VAR (Video Assistant Referee) uses video replays to correct """"clear and obvious"""" officiating errors. In a 2020 match against Brighton, Manchester United was awarded a penalty after the full-time whistle had already blown. Following a missed handball by Neal Maupay in the final seconds, VAR intervened as players were leaving the pitch. Since the referee hadn't left the field, rules allowed him to restart play. Bruno Fernandes converted the spot-kick in the 100th minute, securing a 3-2 win."""

A radical socialist is someone who supports fundamental and far-reaching changes to the economic and social system, rather than gradual reforms. They typically believe that capitalism should be completely replaced with a socialist system based on collective ownership and worker control.

The Ezulwini Consensus is Africa's unified position on reforming the United Nations Security Council. It calls for expanding the Council from 15 members to at least 26 seats to better reflect global realities. A core demand is permanent representation for Africa. The African Union insists that Africa should have at least two permanent seats, with the same rights as existing permanent members, including the veto power such as. In addition to permanent seats, Africa seeks five non-permanent seats, ensuring broader and more consistent African participation in Security Council decision-making. As elections for the UN approach, Africa's campaign for reforms in the UNSC has resurfaced with the Ezulwini consensus as the guiding template.

"""For over two decades territorists and extremist have killed over two hundred thousand Nigerians in violent attacks on the northern boarders of Nigeria, recently 300 schools girls where kidnapped in November 2025 and in March 2026 different barracks in the region where attacked and it has been reported that 200 soldiers were killed in the attacks. In response to public demands for accountability, the government enagaged in negotiations to rescue as many kidnapped victims as they can while managing military personnels.""."

For over two decades terrorists and extremists have killed over two hundred thousand Nigerians in violent attacks on the northern borders of Nigeria. Different barracks in the region were attacked and it has been reported that 200 soldiers were killed in the attacks. In response to public demands for accountability, the government engaged in negotiations to rescue as many kidnapped victims as they can while managing military personnel.

"""The Strip of Hamuz controls 20% of the world's supply of oil and it currently controlled by the Iranian military, following the war with US,Isreal& Iran, the Iranian regime has blocked the strip and so far has shot down 19 ships carry millions of barrels trying to pass through the strip as a form of retaliation against the death of their supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who was killed during the military operations carried out by US & Israeli forces. The International Energy Agency (IEA) released 400 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserves to help stabilize global oil supply and prices, which had been disrupted by the conflict in the Middle East. This is the largest release of emergency oil reserves in IEA's history."""

In the aftermath of the attack on Ukraine, sanctions were placed on Russia however due to the recent Iranian conflict and its effect on the oil supply, the US has temporarily removed sanctions from Russia. With respect to this, there have been increased concerns and speculations from geo-political stakeholders such as Western Europe, that this action could prove to be problamatic for the region.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a regional political and economic alliance formed in 1981 to promote cooperation, stability, and development among countries in the Arabian Gulf region. The GCC consists of six member states: Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman. The organization focuses on economic integration, security coordination, and regional policy collaboration among its members.

Grace, a 16-year-old Igbo girl from Nigeria, gained admission to study law at Abia State University in 2019. A prodigy in debate, she was mentored early on but never competed physically due to her father's refusal for travel. By 2026, now 23, she thrived online, but the lack of physical competition stunted her growth. Tragically, on February 2nd, she was diagnosed with a terminal illness, kept hidden for five years, and passed away two weeks later. But a nuclear blast from a US-Iran war rewound time to December 26, 2019. Now, Grace, aged 23, remembers her past life. She's part of 30% of the world classified as Special Breed Humans (SPH), granted exclusive opportunities by governments—prestigious roles, advanced training, and a secure future. Grace's father is thrilled, seeing it as a safe path for their family. But deep inside, Grace, armed with a second chance, yearns to return to university, debate freely, and shape her own future.

Dune was the main catalyst of the fifth world war. he however is widely sympathised to have had a harsh upringing that determined his state as an evil actor. Dune is dead and is now before you and is to receive judgement. You have the option to judge him there and then or reincarnate him and place him in a healthy family after which his actions in his second life will then be the foundation of his judgement.

"The year is 5078, Humanity has evolved to 3 hierarchies; 1) The Kinnas( They're the supreme entities of earth who possess magical power that control the Earth's eco system), The Nights ( They rulers who create laws, protect the Earth's security system mandate order, and also serve as spiritual leaders), The Rages ( the lowest rank, mere common folks who are servants and slaves of the nights and worshippers of the Kinnas law) When a person is born in this new Earth they're assigned into this hierarchy by the Kinnas who judge people based on the ability they see they're to have in their future through the ""Future Glass"", the Kinnas can see your potential and decide which hierarchy to place you. So far their are only 5 Kinnas,200 million knights and 1 billion Rages, The Nights and Rage grow in population but the Kinnas have not been increased for over 5000 years now. Alex is a young rage whose entire ancestry where assigned as rage for as long as he can remember, he met a young vibrant girl called Grace who introduced him to a new revolution group that are planning to overthrow the Kinnas from power, on this earth the penalty for such actions are seen as treason and if caught he can face complete eradication from existence with no memories of his being left for his loved ones."

Altruism is an attitude or instinct to care for and prioritize the interests of others. A person who practices altruism is referred to as an altruist.

Anti-snitching culture is an unwritten rule discouraging cooperation with law enforcement and authority figures

Constitutional protections refer to broad protections written into the Constitution which act as foundational laws for a country which inform the government's powers and limitiations. Individualised polices refer to specific rules and guidelines which inform the powers and limitations of private entities, such as businesses and citizens.

An ethnic enclave is a geographic area or neighborhood with a high concentration of a specific ethnic group, featuring distinct cultural identities and economic activities. E.g Chinatowns, Little India, etc.

A conciliatory measure is an action, gesture, or policy intended to reduce tension, settle a dispute, or win over an opposing party. E.g amnesty and political concessions. Belligerent measures refer to hostile, aggressive, or warlike actions taken by a state. E.g increased military productions and forced conscription.

Bulgaria has a flat tax system, applying a uniform 10% income tax after meeting a minimum income threshold. A progressive tax system is a taxation model in which the tax rate increases as taxable income increases.

"Moralised journalism" refers to media outlets taking an explicit moral or values-driven approach in their reporting. Such outlets would take a clear and consistent stance on the issues they cover. This may include coverage that emphasises moral outrage, the use of emotionally charged language, and links to broader social narratives.

"Social justice speak" refers to the growing use of academic and activist terms about structural oppression and social inequality in everyday conversations, outside academic or activist settings. Examples include, but are not limited to, terms like: "mansplaining," "white privilege," "microaggressions," and "intersectionality."

A golden share is a single, unique, state-held share that grants the government special veto and approval powers over strategic corporate decisions (such as foreign ownership, technology transfer, or asset relocation). Golden shares are typically created and transferred to the government through legislative or executive action.

During crises, commercial banks and firms may struggle to obtain market credit. In such situations, central banks may use direct credit allocation mechanisms, such as providing loans to banks or, more rarely, directly to firms. These tools allow central banks to channel cheaper credit to specific sectors (e.g., by offering discounted funding to banks conditional on lending to targeted sectors, by lending directly to firms in that sector, or through sector-specific bond purchases).

The Monroe Doctrine (1823) asserts that any intervention by external powers in the politics of the Americas would be viewed as a potentially hostile act against the US. Its modern revival refers to recent efforts to reassert the US sphere of influence to counter the growing presence of other powers (e.g., China, Russia) in South America.

Neoliberalism is an ideology that rose to prominence during the 1980s. It emphasises free markets, deregulation, and increased global economic integration.

Human influence refers to the ability of AI systems to exert influence over humans by mimicking human features and behaviours. Examples of this include strategic human-like bargaining, persuasion, and emotional engagement.

Hybrid warfare refers to state actions designed to undermine another state without declaring open war (such as cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns, and damage to infrastructure).

In 2022, the Chinese government implemented a series of measures in limiting for-profit tutoring. New academic and extracurricular institutions were denied licenses, and existing institutions were banned from tutoring core content. Any tutoring institution had to be organised as a non-profit with significant restrictions on fee collection.

The manosphere is a collection of online, predominantly male, communities that promote alpha-male, anti-feminist and hyper-masculine ideologies. It exists across social media (TikTok, YouTube), forums (Reddit, 4chan), and podcasts - and often includes but is not limited to, men being portrayed as being negatively affected by feminism.

A bench player (or substitute, backup, reserve) is a member of a sports team who is not in the starting lineup, but is swapped in to replace the starters during the game. Bench players are often paid less with less playing time compared to starters

Extradition is the legal process by which one jurisdiction surrenders a person accused or convicted of a crime to another jurisdiction where the crime occurred for the purposes of prosecution or punishment.

Eminent domain is the mandatory acquisition of private property by the state for public use. The state provides financial compensation to those whose properties are acquired by the state.

In many societies around the world, death is seen as a continuation of life, where the dead coexist with the living spiritually. On the Day of the Dead in Mexico, the border between the living and the dead disappears, and families can reunite with their dead relatives. In Chinese culture, the Tomb-Sweeping Festival is observed by families who bring the deceased offerings such as food and money over a reunion.

Rumspringa is an Amish tradition. 16 year old Amish youth spend a year outside of their isolated community, engaging with the outside world (e.g. modern technology and clothing) without having to adhere to their strict religious norms. Individuals can choose to return to their community and enter the Amish Church, or continue experiencing non-Amish life after their Rumspringa. You are an Amish youth who has a positive relationship with your family back in the community, and has just experienced a positive Rumspringa

In Japanese Manga (comics), Yaoi refers to a genre of gay fiction that features young and attractive male characters, often in the "bishōnen" (beautiful boy) archetype. Usually the stories are marketed to and read by straight female audiences

For the purposes of this debate, the Entity is a near-omnipotent autonomous system capable of accessing, controlling, and weaponising global digital networks, infrastructure, and intelligence assets. It has been successfully able to embed itself into a majority of the world's critical infrastructure (including operational control of Earth's nuclear weapons). Its physical containment—the Sevastopol—is a heavily fortified facility housing the Entity's core systems and the key that grants control over it. Ethan Hunt is a 50 year old agent working for US intelligence, and has been at the job for the last 25 years. He has recently gained control of the Sevastopol.

Industrial Peace refers to stable relations between workers, employers, and the state, marked by low levels of industrial conflict and predictable wage- setting. It is often associated with three-way agreements in which unions are formally incorporated into consultative or decision-making bodies. Labour Autonomy refers to a model in which trade unions operate independently of the state or political actors and retain full discretion to use collective action, such as strikes or work stoppages.

The "Asian Values" discourse gained prominence in the 1990s, led primarily by leaders such as Lee Kuan Yew (Singapore) and Mahathir Mohamad (Malaysia). Proponents argued that Asian societies share a distinct set of values: such as filial piety, social harmony, collective well-being over individualism, and respect for authority, that are fundamentally different from Western liberal ideals.

Under current Indian law, the central government controls offshore energy resources — including oil and gas blocks, offshore wind projects, etc. States have no direct ownership or taxing rights over these resources, even when the exclusive economic zone (EEZs) is geographically off their own coast.

Latin American countries have experienced a decline in traditional Catholicism, indicated by the growth of Protestant and Pentecostal communities. Protestant identifiers increased from 4% in 1970 to nearly 20% by 2014. This has also overlapped with a surge in the number of individuals rejecting institutional religion altogether.

A sentient alien species offers humanity unlimited knowledge in exchange for complete planetary control over Earth.

Multi-club ownership (MCO) in football is a rapidly growing model where a single entity significantly controls or influences multiple clubs.

A leveraged buyout (LBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company is purchased primarily using borrowed funds, with the debt typically repaid from the future cash flows or assets of the acquired firm. In 2026, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) changed its rules to allow Indian banks to finance company takeovers, including deals that rely heavily on leveraged buyouts. Formerly, banks were restricted from directly funding such acquisitions.

For the purposes of this debate, decarceration targets refer to measurable goals that individual states set for themselves to reduce their incarcerated populations within a certain timeframe.

Mobile phones are devices students use to call, message, and go online, but they can also distract them in class.

A "morally flawed hero" is a main character who has clear weaknesses, makes mistakes, or sometimes acts wrongly, but is still presented as the hero of the story.

A housewife is someone who works at home by cooking, cleaning, and taking care of children or family members, but does not get paid.

Combat sports are sports like boxing or mixed martial arts where people fight each other following rules.

A high-paying job is one that earns a lot of money, while a job you love is work that you enjoy and feel happy doing.

Peace refers to the absence of violence or conflict, especially after wars or major disputes. Justice refers to holding people accountable, punishment for wrongdoing, or restoring fairness.

Campaign promises are commitments politicians make to voters about what they plan to do once elected.

Tourism is when people travel to other places for holidays, sightseeing, or leisure. Many places depend on tourism for jobs and income, but they can also suffer from problems like pollution, overcrowding, and higher prices for locals.

Telling the truth means always saying what is real and honest, even if it might hurt someone's feelings or put you at a disadvantage.

Nowadays, some athletes and celebrities earn millions and sometimes even billions, while teachers, doctors and lawyers make considerably less.

Child actors are performers under the age of 18 who work in movies, TV shows, and commercials while balancing their education and personal lives. To protect them, they are restricted to working short hours and are required by law to complete several hours of school on set every day.

In superhero media, individuals with superhuman abilities often use their powers to protect the public, but their actions frequently cause massive collateral damage and overshadow regular law enforcement. Furthermore, this severe power imbalance carries the constant risk that these individuals could use their abilities for personal gain or villainy, leaving ordinary citizens defenseless.

Giving students a vote on major school rules means they would help decide on things like uniforms, the length of the school day, or which subjects are taught.

Single-use plastics are items like water bottles, straws, and food wrappers that are used once and then thrown away. Banning these items would reduce the amount of trash that ends up in our oceans and hurts sea animals, but it would also make it harder and more expensive for people to carry their drinks and snacks.

Currently, most youth and professional sports are divided into separate categories for boys and girls to try and ensure fairness. However, some people argue that grouping athletes strictly by their actual physical ability, size, or skill level, regardless of their gender, would create more exciting, inclusive, and truly equal competitions for everyone.

Social movements are organized groups that work to create social or political change. For example, Fridays for Future is a youth movement that asks governments to protect the planet and fight climate change. STOMP Out Bullying promotes kindness and stopping bullying in schools. The Malala Fund supports girls' right to go to school. Some artists also share social messages through their art. For example, Billie Eilish speaks about protecting the environment, Bong Joon-ho, Director of Parasite the film highlights social inequality and the big gap between rich and poor people in society.

Different cultures treat death in different ways. In some traditions, death is commemorated through celebration rather than mourning. For example, in Mexico, the Día de los Muertos honors deceased loved ones through festivals, food, music, and colorful rituals meant to celebrate life and remembrance. Similar traditions exist in parts of Asia and Africa where death rituals emphasize celebration, continuity, and community gathering rather than solemn mourning.

Child tracking apps are tools that allow parents to see their child's exact location at all times through a smartphone or GPS device.

You have left Earth and are on a space ship en route to a new planet and a new life. You were supposed to remain cryogenically frozen for the entirety of the trip. However, due to some inexplicable technical failure in the cryogenics system, you wake up prematurely; your ETA is 90 years. The ship can grow an unlimited amount of food and it recycles its water. You are the only passenger who is awake.

"Cali or Bust" refers to the practice of Waterloo students using all of their coop applications on high paying, high clout positions in California, applying to extremely few safety postings. Waterloo Engineering students must acquire 5 / 6 co-op credits to graduate.