Global Politics – The Great Debate

To launch the Global Politics Club IB students in Year 11 and 12 studying Global Politics hosted a Lunch Time Great Debate. Students debated the proposition that AUKUS is a threat to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific. Many students from Years 9-12 attended the lunchtime event and showed great interest and enthusiasm in considering the ideas around this contemporary topic. A thank you to Dr Richardson and Ms Harris who prepared the debaters and Ms Jenkins for adjudicating the debate.

Brigida Zagora
Head of HSIE (Humanities and Social Sciences)

Teacher reflection:

Professor Rory Medcalf of the National Security College at the Australian National University has called the AUKUS Pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America the moment Australia ‘comes of age’ in the Indo-Pacific, whilst former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating has described the pact as ‘the worst deal in all history’. With a $368 billion dollar price tag and long term consequences for Australia’s relationships with the USA, our Pacific neighbours, and a rising People’s Republic of China, this is a debate that should concern all Australians. Today we were privileged to witness two passionate and informed teams of Santa Sabina IB Global Politics students as they argued the merits of AUKUS, taking into consideration the domestic and global ramifications of the treaty, exploring questions of nuclear proliferation and the security consequences of an increasingly assertive China. Adjudicator Ms Lauren Jenkins commended all speakers for their impressive arguments and keen rhetoric, but ultimately the Negative side carried the debate, rejecting the proposition that AUKUS is a threat to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Rather, it was argued that the AUKUS pact – for all its eye-watering expense for the Australian taxpayer – is ultimately a source of stability and security in an increasingly unstable world.

Dr Christopher Richardson
Teacher of IB Global Politics 

Student reflection:

On 27 March, we held a Global Politics Debate to celebrate one year of running Global Politics Club and to pass the club on to the next IB cohort. The topic of the debate was ‘AUKUS is a threat to peace and security in the Indo-Pacific’, and this gave us an excellent opportunity to discuss the implications of this new tripartite security pact. 

As the affirmative team, we considered the possibility of the AUKUS Pact prompting aggression from China and weakening the deterrence value of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, which would make nuclear proliferation more likely. The negative team stated that AUKUS will allow Australia to better protect nations in the Indo-Pacific region by contributing to regional security, deter Chinese expansion and strengthen Australia’s national security. Congratulations to the Negative team for winning the debate. Overall, participating in this debate stimulated our passion for global politics and provided us with a meaningful opportunity to practise public speaking and consider different perspectives on global issues. 

I am delighted to have been a part of this enriching experience as it has broadened my political knowledge and international awareness. I look forward to participating in future political discussions and I hope that the Global Politics Club at Santa Sabina will have a strong future. 

Rosanna Cartwright
Year 12