Intelligence Squared US

By Juliet Barbara – February 2, 2012
The Intelligence Squared Oxford style debates don’t just cover two competing sides of issues like education, the war on terror and religion. They’ll also train you in high-level debate. Highlights from last season include “Are Men Finished?” and “Would the World Be Better Off Without Religion?” Audio podcasts are downloadable through iTunes.

IQ2US Press Release – January 18, 2012
On February 7, Intelligence Squared U.S. (IQ2US) will take on one of America’s biggest problems when they host the debate: “Obesity Is the Government’s Business.” Obesity costs our health care system nearly $150 billion a year and is a major risk factor for expensive, chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Should the government intervene, or is this a matter of individual rights and personal responsibility?

By Seth Mandel – January 12, 2012
…But the question now is, what should be done instead? That was the topic of the debate, which was entitled: “The U.N. should admit Palestine as a full member state.” It pitted, for the motion, Palestinian legislator Mustafa Barghouthi and the New America Foundation and J Street’s Daniel Levy against Israeli diplomat Dore Gold and Miller. The whole debate is worth watching, which can be done at Intelligence Squared’s website.

By Katy Waldman – January 11, 2012
After an hour and a half of trying to soften an increasingly furious—and personal— debate over Palestinian membership in the United Nations on Tuesday, moderator John Donvan gave up and wearily asked his panelists for closing statements. Aaron David Miller started off. “I realize in the last 90 minutes that perhaps one of the most astute things I’ve done, the best decisions I’ve made, was to leave the Arab-Israeli negotiating table,” he quipped. The audience laughed. Onstage, the rest of the panelists looked pained.

By Marc Tracy – January 11, 2012
At last night’s Intelligence Squared U.S. debate held at NYU’s Skirball Center, the motion was: “The U.N. Should Admit Palestine as a Full Member State.” The Oxford style of the contest—one side defends the platform, the other side opposes it, and they are judged purely on their respective success at doing what they are supposed to do, not what is “right” or how the motion fits into a larger context—made for an evening that at once obscured the larger difficulties of the Middle East conflict and highlighted that conflict’s intractability.

By Ed Husain – January 11, 2012
Last night, I attended an Intelligence Squared Debate in New York. As expected, the debate was spirited and lively. How could it not be? The motion was “The UN Should Admit Palestine as a Full Member State.” As is the norm with almost all debates on the Arab-Israeli conflict, emotions were high and sparks flew.

IQ2US Press Release – January 11, 2012
Last night, Intelligence Squared U.S. launched it’s spring 2012 season with a sold-out debate and a decisive victory for the motion, “The U.N. Should Admit Palestine as a Full Member State.” The debate was especially heated and, according to the final votes, Mustafa Barghouthi and Daniel Levy won by convincing 18% of the audience to change their minds to support the resolution, thus winning the Oxford style debate.

By Katy Waldman – January 3, 2012
Israel’s occupation of land in the West Bank and Gaza, the status of Jerusalem, and the rights of Arab refugees have roiled the Middle East for almost half a century. Four longtime engineers of the peacemaking efforts in the Middle East will tackle these questions at the next Slate/Intelligence Squared U.S. live debate on Jan. 10.

IQ2US Press Release – December 14, 2011
On January 10th, New York’s premier live debate series, Intelligence Squared U.S. (IQ2US), returns for the first debate of its spring 2012 season with the divisive proposition: “The U.N. Should Admit Palestine as a Full Member State.”

IQ2US Press Release – December 12, 2011
The influential public policy debate series Intelligence Squared U.S. (IQ2US) has announced its spring 2012 season beginning January 10 at NYU’s Skirball Center. The new season will feature propositions on topics from college football to capitalism in China, from Palestine statehood to political discourse in the online age. Confirmed debaters include best-selling author and New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell, New York Times bestselling author Dr. Pamela Peeke, MoveOn.org’s Eli Pariser, Fox News’ John Stossel, Slate Editor-in-Chief Jacob Weisberg and more, with additional panelists to be announced soon.