Japanese, American debate teams tackle current issue

The relationship between the United States and United Nations over current U.S. military actions has raised questions that Weber State University joined in by inviting the All Star Japanese Debate Tour to debate that issue with the WSU Debate Team.

WSU is just one university that will debate with the All Stars, Katsuya Koresawa, a senior advisor at Fukutomi & Co., and Yoshikuni Sato, Osaka University law student.

"They had to do a tryout in Japan where just various debaters came and tried out to come here," said Paige Huff, assistant director of the audience debate forum, this debate is one in the new series. "They had to do speeches in front of three prestigious judges from debate and those three judges chose the two that got to come."

The All Stars went up against WSU juniors Desaray Brown and Robert Roake. Brown and Roake were chosen to debate because of their past achievements in debate. Brown won the 2004 Fiesta Tournament in Arizona State University and Roake was awarded as the top speaker in this year's Val Browning Round Robin.

The debate was in front of an audience in the SUB Skyroom on March 26 and each team presented their point. The WSU Debate Team represented the opinion that military intervention without UN Security Council authorization should be justified and the All Stars opposed such actions.

The WSU Debate Team stressed the need for intervention only in cases of genocide, regardless of whether the UN can reach a consensus or chooses to act.

"We can't wait, as the United States population, wait on this moral question till this bureaucracy decides to vote that we can intervene and stop it," said Roake

The All Stars questioned the long-term effects on international order if unilateral actions are taken. They preferred pacifism, but ultimately acknowledged the need for action in cases of genocide, though they said global consensus could be reached.

The two teams debated on Friday, but the night before they went out together. An outing Koresawa later regretted.

"Hangover -- killing me now," Koresawa joked. "After drinking I recognized, that is Weber State's strategy in preparation for the debate."

You can reach reporter Maria Villasenor by calling 626-7655.