Film by Kaveri Marathe (MSFS ’13)Article by Mark Fleming (MSFS ’13)Georgetown Master of Science in Foreign Service and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies students came head-to-head last Wednesday April 25 at Georgetown in an academic debate to determine which school would be rhetorical number one for the year. The subject: Is America in decline?The annual MSFS-SAIS debate tradition began years ago as a way to bring MSFS and SAIS together in a competitive, intellectually stimulating forum. It has now become a much anticipated annual event.“Debates are an old-school tradition at universities,” Ambassador Mark Lagon said, who chairs the international relations and security program at MSFS. “This demonstrated that, in the age of Facebook and Twitter, these traditions are still valuable.”Ali Musa (MSFS ’13) an international relations and security concentrator, and Mark Bailey (MSFS ’13), an international relations and security concentrator, represented the MSFS team against SAIS’s Hemant Sharma and Chris Appel. All four participants have previous debate experience at the high-school or university level.“I grew up debating, and I thought it would be fun to foster some inter-school competition,” Sharma said. “The moment I learned about it I thought ‘this is what we should all be doing here on a daily basis,’” Musa added.Since neither side knew the position it would debate until a few minutes before the beginning of the debate, they prepared for both. Each side then presented its opening remarks, followed by further explanation and closing remarks. They also responded to questions from the opposition’s audience members.“It’s a good forum for taking what we learn in class and putting it to use,” first-year international relations and security concentrator Kate Schmelzer said. “Plus, it’s fun.”Despite stiff competition from the opposition and tough questions from the opposing team’s audience members, MSFS emerged victorious.“They did a fantastic job, we did a fantastic job, and it was a great debate,” Sharma recounted.The judges noted MSFS’s successful framing of the issue, and SAIS judge and former National Security Staff member Karl Jackson – who prepped Dan Quayle for debates – cited Bailey’s dramatic closing argument as the clincher for MSFS. For this performance, Bailey won best individual debater.“With every burst of laughter at one of our bad jokes, I felt the confidence to push further and to abandon notes in favor of fresh ideas which came to mind,” Bailey said. “It’s as near as I’ll ever come to the feeling that a professional sportsman must get.”The winner’s trophy – and bragging rights – will remain with Georgetown until next year’s competition, when SAIS will have the opportunity to reclaim it from MSFS on its own turf.“The excitement comes from two evenly matched schools battling it out every year, with the debaters keen not only to do their classmates proud, but to become part of an established tradition,” Bailey explained.Given the popularity and success of the annual event, it is unlikely that MSFS and SAIS will not face each other next spring, and in years to come.“I hope that this tradition can continue year after year,” Lagon said.