Open To Debate Podcast: Is War Inevitable

  Open To Debate may be one of the most vital communications channels we still have left in the U.S. today. We don't talk to each other but AT each other. Too often, our solution to communicating to family members, co-workers, friends, and acquaintances is a stony, sullen silence followed by an abrupt, "I don't talk about politics." 

It's safer and easier that way. Often it is. It's exhausting to speak to someone who responds to your discussion with "that's fake news" every time you state something they don't agree with. Worse yet is the retreat into conspiratorial fantasies. How do you respond when they bluster, "Can you prove JFK Jr. is not alive?" Or when they repeat an obvious lie they heard from a politician they admire.

What's missing is debate. Even when a discussion starts out in a debate format, it quickly devolves into a shouting match, resulting in Uncle Fred and Aunt June being uninvited to the wedding.

From ancient battles to modern conflicts, war has been a constant in human history. With rising global tensions and new technologies shaping the battlefield, this week's debate from the Open to Debate podcast asks a simple but profound question: Is War Inevitable?

Arguing yes: Dylan Motin, who researches International Relations theory, specifically realism, balance-of-power theory, great power competition, and Korean affairs.

Arguing no: Gabrielle Rifkind, a specialist in conflict resolution and an accredited mediator who works behind the scenes to ripen the conditions for peace-making in conflict.

Listen/watch the debate at YouTube, opentodebate.org, or wherever you get podcasts. 

With the breakdown of norms in the U.S. government, and the disenfranchisement of so many Americans due to arbitrary government cuts, mass firings, a weaponized U.S. Justice Department, and incompetent leadership, there was a consensus for Open to Debate as the Ear Worthy Podcast Of The Year. 

The show, Open To Debate, along with the non-profit organization, which is by definition independent of partisan forces, addresses a fundamental problem in America: the extreme polarization of the nation and its politics. It is the nation's only nonpartisan, debate-driven media organization dedicated to bringing together multiple viewpoints for a constructive, balanced, and respectful exchange of ideas. Open to Debate is a platform for intellectually curious and open-minded individuals to engage with others who hold opposing views on complex issues.