A Minor Musing About The NSDA's 2017-2018 Potential Development Assistance Resolution

 Finally, Resolved: Wealthy nations have an obligation to provide development assistance to other nations.

There are a few defintional arguments, especially the term "development assistance" that might cloud the debate, but on the whole this is an old fashioned LD resolution that allows the discussion of a good number of political and philosophical arguments. Do nations have obligations to those beyond their borders? Do nations have obligations at all? What creates an obligation? Does an obligation exist if the recipient cannot properly use it because that nation lacks the resources or control over its territory? What is the source of a nation's obligation to other nations? Further, one can argue that giving developmental aid might be a good idea and further a nation's self interest, but there is no obligation to do so.

All of the questions produce good debate even though it is frequently trod ground. There are plenty of practical discussions about poverty, starvation, migrant communities, refugees that could also fit. If memory serves, many of the poorest nations are also the one's most adversely affected by refugee influxes.

The wording "other nations" does cause a bit of concern. One can anticipate negs arguing that the resolution obligates the United States to give developmental aid to areas of Canada or that that China is now obligated to give developmental aid to Native American communities. That seems to be a minor concern.