Intelligence Squared U.S., a nonpartisan and non-profit group founded in 2006, is hosting a debate on Oct. 14 to contend over the important question: Are China and the U.S. long-term enemies? The question is driven by the increasing sense of rivalry in the Sino-U.S. relationship. This is evident over issues like the Chinese regime’s expansionism in the South China Sea, its theft of economic secrets from American industry, and the Communist Party’s perceived challenge to a U.S.-led international order.
Debates are conducted in the Oxford style, with each side (consisting of two distinguished panelists) to either oppose or support the motion. The audience registers their opinion both at the beginning and the end of the debate. The winner is determined by who manages to sway audience opinion the most.
The panelists debating the topic at the Kaufman Center in Manhattan are, on the team supporting the motion: Peter Brookes, Senior Fellow at the The Heritage Foundation, and John Mearsheimer, a Professor of Political Science and the University of Chicago and the proponent of a sharp “realist” view of foreign policy which sees great power conflict as inevitable. Arguing against the idea that the United States and China are long term enemies is Robert Daly, Director of the Kissinger Institute based at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
The debate will begin at 6:45 p.m. sharp. An embedded live-stream can be found below.
