[debate-l] Re: [university-l] What is IDEA's Mission in Asia?

[Liisa Past]

Dear Jason,

While I have no desire to take sides in the discussion over Asian  
debate, can I please ask you to remain respectful of the ex-Soviet  
and Eastern European nations and debate programs. FYI: most of the  
Open Society Institute initiatives in the area are well into their  
second decade and most debate programs have celebrated their 10th  
anniversary. Furthermore, many are by now virtually independent of  
IDEA or Open Society Institute funding.

I think making such an artificial binary opposition of Asian and  
Eastern European debate is both dangerous and destructive to  
international debate.

Best wishes,

Liisa Past
Estonian Debating Society



On Oct 1, 2006, at 6:37 PM, Jason Jarvis wrote:

>
>  The crux of your position is that because people in
> Asia havent joined IDEA, you have no way of knowing
> about regional events.
>
> This is not true for a few reasons:
>
> 1) IDEA members (Claremont) have attended the
> Northeast Asian tournament every year it has been
> held.
> 2) It has been advertised on your listservs every year
> (including this one).
> 3) A Korean team won the IDEA Youth Forum this year.
>  Was it honestly impossible to consult with them?
> 4) IDEA members have been in Northeast Asia, as
> recently as July and August and were well aware of the
> competition.  Your failure to communicate within your
> own organization is hardly our fault.
> 5) Debaters in Asia are not attempting to develop
> debate in Europe or America. Why should they consult
> you?
>
> You also say that you are under no obligation to
> communicate or consult with people in the region that
> you are planning to work in....even when IDEA is
> entering a region for the first time.
>
> This is NONSENSE.
>
> The real question, Noel, is this:
> What are the GOALS of IDEA? WHY are you holding debate
> tournaments in China?
>
> If your goal is to promote debate in a region, then
> you have an OBLIGATION to SEEK OUT, CONTACT, and
> COORDINATE with the people who are already doing some
> of those things in the region where you plan to work.
>
>
> WHY do you have such an obligation?
>
> (A) Asian debating pre-dates IDEA.  IDEA is neither
> necessary nor sufficient for the promotion of Asian
> debate.  Democracies here may be developing (Thailand
> notwithstanding), but debate has its own traditions.
> The All Asians is entering its 14th year. This isnt
> Eastern Europe or the former Soviet Union.
>
> (B) If all you plan to do is import people with no
> local knowledge, and to ignore the needs of the
> region; be prepared to run an irrelevant organization
> that meets with hostility.  At a mimimum, you have
> successfully alienated the Korean college community,
> and potentially Japan as well...Since Korea is hosting
> the 14th All Asians, which will be making its first
> appearance in Northeast Asia ever, I would say this is
> an inauspicious start to your plans for Asia.
>
> (C) Efficient use of resources would mean
> coordination, rather than duplication. (Obviously)
>
> (D) Given your professed lack of knowledge, its
> possible your own efforts could augmented by the local
> knowledge of people living here. (Is this fact really
> surprising?)
>
> (E) By not coordinating your efforts you run the risk
> of DAMAGING regional debate.  For Northeast Asia this
> is true in the following ways:
>
> -Asian debaters/coaches that want to travel in
> November will have to choose, or will be unable to
> attend both competitions because they are obligated to
> one tournament.  The fact is that you didnt put
> together a small domestic competition for only Chinese
> people.  IDEA is ACTIVELY LOBBYING non-Chinese to
> attend.  This damages the other regional tournament
> that is taking place in Seoul (which, FYI, is only a 2
> hour flight from Beijing).
>
> Personally, despite being the Chief Adjudicator for
> the next All Asians, I cant go to Beijing because I
> have obligations to the Northeast Asian Open.  The
> Beijing competition would be a great opportunity to
> expose more Chinese debaters to the Asian
> championships, and other regional events.  I am hardly
> the only person who will not have the option of
> attending both.
>
> -It isolates China from Asia.  While its well and good
> for Americans to swoop in to save the Chinese with
> their debate knowledge, your Adjudication team has
> never attended the All Asians or the AUDC (do you even
> know what that acronym stands for?).  I didnt see a
> whole lot of experience in the WUDC format on their
> CV's either.  What will the Chinese do when you leave?
>  How will this help them participate in ASIAN
> DEBATING?
>
> Undoubtedly it is good that people have some debating
> rather than none, and there will be people in China
> who get a tournament that they might not have had.
>
> However, those goals could have been achieved and both
> tournaments could be better if IDEA were to coordinate
> with people living in Asia.  No explanation was given
> for why November is the only month of the year you
> could hold the competition in.  Overlapping with
> events in Europe and the US is not a justification for
> the dates you chose.  The Asian calendar would be easy
> to obtain and should take primacy.
>
> Ultimately, the explanations for the lack of
> coordination are poor and disingenuous.  IDEA could
> have, and SHOULD HAVE KNOWN.
>
> Furthermore, despite using polite rhetoric, your
> response makes it clear that IDEA needs to spend a
> good deal of time developing a clear Mission with
> regards to Asia, as well as streamlining its own
> internal communications before it seeks to meddle in
> the affairs of a region which might very well be
> better off without its help.
>
>
>
> Jason L. Jarvis
> Assistant Dean and Lecturer
>
> Korea Development Institute Graduate School of Public Policy and  
> Management
> http://www.kdischool.ac.kr/
> Office: 82-2-3299-1031
> Email: debatekorea at kdischool.ac.kr
>
>
> Korea Debate Listserv
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/koreadebatelist/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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