Diplomacy & Politics Glossary

An argument whose conclusion is justified by reason alone, derived from…

In competitive debate, "A2" (also "AT") is shorthand for "Answers To," meaning…

In competitive debate, the narrative a team tells the judge explaining how…

The practice of designing debate spaces, rules, and communication so that…

In policy debate, an "advantage" is a constructive argument showing that the…

A perceived structural advantage held by the affirmative side in a competitive…

The obligation of the affirmative team to establish a case that supports the…

The overall strategic plan the affirmative team uses to win a policy debate…

A critical theory holding that anti-Blackness is a structural, foundational…

A competitive debate disadvantage arguing the affirmative plan disrupts a…

The specific issue a Model UN committee formally debates after adopting its…

A counterplan that enacts the affirmative's policy but assigns it to a…

A debate kritik arguing that the affirmative's human-centered worldview causes…

A competitive debate argument claiming the opponent's advocacy reproduces…

A negative debate argument claiming the affirmative plan signals weakness to an…

A debate moment when one side's case loses its logical or evidentiary basis…

A debate technique where a speaker carries forward and develops a previously…

The strategic process of choosing which claims, evidence, and lines of…

A research practice in competitive debate where evidence from published sources…

The clarity and precision with which a speaker physically produces words and…

The practice of tailoring a debate speech's content, language, and delivery to…

A rhetorical move in competitive debate where one side challenges the…

Shorthand in competitive debate for the credentials of an evidence card's…