Intelligence Squared US

The California as First “Failed State” Debate: Schwarzenegger, Davis, Whitman, and Jerry Brown

isus-admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:13:01 +0000

By William Bradley – March 2, 2010
Is California America’s first “failed state?”… It’s a hot topic. You see it suggested in the press. It’s spinning into the very high-stakes California governor’s race. There was even a formal debate about it in late January in New York City. Schwarzenegger in particular was very struck by that debate, sponsored by Intelligence Squared, as he told me when we talked about it the other day. The event dripped with irony, as it featured Schwarzenegger’s brother-in-law, Bobby Shriver, as the most prominent member of the team of three arguing that California is America’s first “failed state.”

Back to Basics on Climate and Energy

isus-admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:31:04 +0000

By Andrew Revkin – February 23, 2010
This time, let’s start with Michael Crichton, whose name has been invoked quite often in the comment strings here and elsewhere by those challenging the science pointing to disruptive human-driven climate change… To understand his stance on greenhouse warming, it’s worth going back to the Intelligence Squared debate in Manhattan in 2007 on global warming.

Too Close For Comfort?

isus-admin — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:39:39 +0000

February 12, 2010
Eleven minutes after Israel announced its independence in 1948, President Harry Truman recognized the new state, and American support has been crucial to -Israel’s survival and a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy ever since.

The New Drama of Ideas

isus-admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:32:24 +0000

By Erica Abeel – February 10, 2010
When was the last time you got someone to change their mind about a challenging issue? You know the usual drill. At a dinner party the topic of, say, Israel is broached, and the evening turns toxic. Opposing sides trot out long-held prejudices, opinion posing as fact, or – the worst! -statistics. No one even listens to, much less gets convinced by, anyone else.

NYT Columnist, Former Ambassador Stage Debate

isus-admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:22:20 +0000

By Marc Tracy – February 10, 2010
The Intelligence Squared debate series has a cool gimmick: at the beginning, audience members vote on the resolution via little keypads at each seat; at the end, they vote again; whichever side changed the most minds “wins.” As last night’s debate began, it was exciting to find that 25% of the crowd voted “undecided,” meaning that many minds were open to persuasion as the four panelists debated the resolution, “The U.S. should step back from its special relationship with Israel.”

NY Audience Votes That “The U.S. Should Step Back from Its Special Relationship with Israel”

isus-admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:18:44 +0000

Tom Gross – February 10, 2010
Roger Cohen won over New Yorkers by claiming: “Jihadi terrorism aimed at the United States is not primarily motivated perhaps by the Palestinian issue, but it is a major factor.”

Audience Decides America Should Step Back From Israel

isus-admin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:41:51 +0000

IQ2US Press Release – February 10, 2010
After the four person debate and a round of thoughtful questions from the audience, the final vote ended with one of the closest results in Intelligence Squared US’s history. The team arguing in favor of the motion won the night with 49% of the audience voting for them. 47% were against the motion and only 4% remained undecided.

Israel and America, or Israel and the Palestinians?

isus-admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 19:33:58 +0000

By Uriel Heilman – February 10, 2010
What are we talking about when we’re talking about America’s special relationship with Israel? To listen to the panelists at Tuesday night’s Intelligence Squared debate arguing for the proposition that “The U.S. should step back from its special relationship with Israel,” we’re talking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

California: America’s First Failed State

isus-admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:19:16 +0000

January 26, 2010
In the latest Intelligence Squared US debate, the audience agreed that the Golden State has lost its luster.

Debating Gray Davis in New York: California Fails, Wins

isus-admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:39:12 +0000

By Sharon Waxman – January 20, 2010
You could say it wasn’t a fair fight. With a proposal like, “California is the First Failed State,” the debate on Tuesday seemed a foregone conclusion. Those of us who live in the state and watch the news trot out a litany of funeral announcements for successive state services – education, medical care for the poor, arts programs, government paychecks – kind of thought it was obvious.