Every contention, mapped, with the answers that turn it.
Each brief charts a Public Forum topic with three Aff advantages and three Neg disads, laid out as uniqueness, link, internal link and impact. Every contention comes with an answer set that leads with link turns and impact turns, then defense.
How to read the map
Each contention is laid out in the order a round is argued, so you can follow it from uniqueness to impact or pull a single layer.
| Layer | What it marks |
|---|---|
| UQ | Uniqueness: what is happening now, and the shortfall the argument starts from. |
| L | Link: how the resolution changes that situation. |
| IL | Internal link: the steps between the link and the impact. |
| Impact | What is at stake, and why it outweighs. |
| Answers | For each contention, the opposing side's answers. Link turns and impact turns come first, then defense such as non-unique and no link. |
Built for the round
- Tags are short and plain, so they are easy to read out loud.
- Each card keeps the full article text. Underlined text carries the warrant for the tag.
- You highlight what you will read, the way your team already does.
Cited so you can defend it
- Oral cite of author and year, followed by the full written cite in parentheses.
- Written cite covers author, credentials, date, source, title, URL and date accessed, plus page numbers when the source has them.
- Nothing is deleted from a card, and added words are bracketed.
Sample sheet: Aff advantage 1
Nuclear escalation in Europe, built as uniqueness, link, internal links and impact. Each layer has two cards or fewer, so you can see the whole argument at a glance.
| Layer | Claim it proves | Cards (tag and oral cite) |
|---|---|---|
| UQ | Europe sits on live nuclear risk, and neither arms control nor the alliance is moving | Nuclear threats are alive in Europe (Herzog 25) Alliance politics have stalled arms control (Ellison 26) |
| L | European ratification takes hosting states out of nuclear sharing | Ratification forces hosting states out of nuclear sharing (Perkovich 20) An ally can sign, leave nuclear planning, and remove the B61s (Ellison 26) |
| IL 1 | Leaving nuclear sharing costs NATO nothing | NATO loses nothing by removing the B61s (Sweeney 20) The nuclear umbrella isn’t believable anyway (Egeland 21) |
| IL 2 | The alliance survives ratification | The TPNW and alliances coexist (NZ and the Philippines) (Ellison 26) The US can keep Article V even if allies join (Egeland 21) |
| IL 3 | Exit opens a path to lower risk with Russia | Bomb withdrawal opens path to dialogue (Sweeney 20) |
| Impact | Nuclear sharing adds escalation risk without adding defense | Using the B61s kills allies or invites a strategic exchange (Sweeney 20) Nuclear sharing puts Europe on the front line (Ellison 26) |
One card, up close
In the particular case of a possible Baltic war, the B61s would face two specific impediments to their effective use. First, the only NATO aircraft currently certified to deliver the B61 are the non-stealthy F-16 and Tornado. Neither plane stands a reasonable chance of making it through the teeth of Russia’s advanced air defense network in northeast Europe to reach its target. Even though it is nuclear, the B61 is still a basic free-fall bomb. Its delivery aircraft must fly over the target to drop the weapon, no different than a World War II bomber.
Second, there are almost no viable targets for a tactical nuclear weapon in a Baltic war. Use on the territory of Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania would essentially involve killing citizens of those countries to “save” them. None of the three are large states and even tactical nuclear employment would carry significant humanitarian and environmental consequences. Use directly against Russia also must be ruled out as it could immediately invite a strategic exchange – the worst possible outcome. Targeting Russian units that might be transiting Belarus could be another option, but it is unclear whether this would affect the Russian advance and would also entail civilian casualties among a population that isn’t even willingly participating in the war.
In short, there is no reliable means to deliver the B61 in a Baltic contingency and practically nowhere to usefully employ them. So why keep them at all? Withdrawing the B61s unilaterally would entail far less risk than President Bush bore in 1991 as it doesn’t alter NATO’s defensive capability because the weapons are already functionally useless.
The underline marks the warrant. Highlighting is left to you. The dark band at the top is the page header every file carries, with our name and site address, outside the card text.
Pricing
Single brief
- The full brief for one topic: three Aff advantages, three Neg disads and an answer set for each.
- A one-time purchase. Not a subscription.
Membership
- Every brief from the first one after Septober 2026, for as long as you are a member.
- Ongoing research: send in questions each week, and common ones get a posted research breakdown with a ranked reading list, a line on what each source argues, and full cites.
- A searchable card library that grows every month. Filter by topic, side, contention, and layer (uniqueness, link, internal link, impact, link turn, impact turn, and defense), then copy cards into Word.
- Download anything while you are a member and keep it.
- Pause and come back later. When you return, you can catch up on the months you missed.
- Cancel any time. Access to the site ends when your paid month does.
Septober 2026 is free for everyone. It is the one past topic open without a membership.
Questions
Which topics will be covered?
The first brief covers the current Public Forum topic. Later briefs follow as each topic is announced.
Who is it for?
Public Forum debaters and coaches, from novice to varsity, who want contentions and answers organized by layer.
Is it a replacement for doing my own research?
No. Use the cards as a starting point. Every card has its full cite, so you can open the source and check it, which is also what judges and opponents may ask for.
What happens if I cancel a membership?
Your access to the site ends when the month you paid for ends. Anything you downloaded while you were a member is yours to keep.
Can I take a break and come back?
Yes. When you rejoin, you can catch up on the past months you missed without paying for them.
Get a free card each week
Sign up with your email and get one full card a week, with its complete cite, taken from the research we do for that week's member questions. It is a preview of what members get.