Campus Liberty Tour

"Is institutional neutrality necessary to preserve the university as a forum for open inquiry rather than an actor in political disputes?" 

This debate took place at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming, on June 23, 2026. Arguing the affirmative is Jonathan Turley, Professor at George Washington University Law School. Arguing the negative is Todd Wolfson, Professor at Rutgers University and President of the American Association of University Professors. This debate is moderated by Tony Blankley Fellow George Bogden.

Steamboat Institute, in partnership with the Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization and in association with CU’s Conference on World Affairs, is proud to present a compelling debate on the following resolution: Be it resolved, the United States is in the process of committing superpower suicide. Arguing the affirmative is Susan Rice, Domestic Policy Advisor (2021-2023); U.S. National Security Advisor (2013-2017); U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (2009-2013). Arguing the negative is John Bolton, Author, The Room Where It Happened; National Security Advisor (2018-2019); U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (2005-2006). Moderator is Carine Hajjar, Opinion Journalist for The Washington Post and Steamboat Institute Fellow for Public Policy and American Exceptionalism.

The debate resolution is: Be it resolved, the failure of civic education in schools is the primary cause of ideological partisanship in society today. Arguing the affirmative is Josh Dunn, Ph.D., Professor and Executive Director of the Institute of American Civics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Arguing the negative is Timothy Messer-Kruse, Ph.D., Professor in the School of Cultural and Critical Studies at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Moderator is Kaylee McGhee White, Editor-in-Chief for Independent Women Features; Tony Blankley Fellow, Steamboat Institute.

AFFIRMATIVE: TYLER J. THOMPSON, Attorney
specializing in Data Privacy and AI Regulation – Reed
Smith LLP

NEGATIVE: JOHN YOO, Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law,
UC-Berkeley; Distinguished Visiting Scholar, School of
Civic Leadership, University of Texas at Austin

A debate on AI policy at our 2026 Winter Policy Summit: America 250 in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.

Steamboat Institute, in partnership with the University of California, Davis, is proud to present a compelling debate on the following resolution: Be it resolved, scientific progress is best achieved through publicly funded research initiatives. Arguing the affirmative is Jon Hartley, economist and Policy Fellow at the Hoover Institution. Arguing the negative is John Early, Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute. Moderator is Carrie Sheffield, Senior Policy Analyst, Independent Women’s Forum; Tony Blankley Senior Fellow, Steamboat Institute. 

Steamboat Institute, in partnership with the Colangelo College of Business, is proud to present a compelling debate on the following resolution: Be it resolved, in the near term, artificial intelligence will do more harm than good. Arguing the affirmative is Bret Weinstein, Ph.D., Evolutionary Biologist, Author, and Host of The DarkHorse Podcast. Arguing the negative is Michael Strain, Ph.D, Director of Economic Policy Studies and the Arthur F. Burns Scholar in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute. Moderator is Hadley Heath Manning; Tony Blankley Senior Fellow, Steamboat Institute.

Steamboat Institute, in partnership with the Center for the Study of Government and the Individual, is proud to present a compelling debate on the following resolution: Be it resolved, capitalism is better than socialism for human flourishing. Arguing the affirmative is Yaron Brook, Chairman of the Board of the Ayn Rand Institute; Host of The Yaron Brook Show; Author of In Pursuit of Wealth: The Moral Case for Finance. Arguing the negative is Bhaskar Sunkara, founding editor of Jacobin; President of the Nation magazine; Author of The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality. Moderator is Hadley Heath Manning, Tony Blankley Senior Fellow, Steamboat Institute.

"Be it resolved, the government should ban all DEI programs."

Arguing the affirmative: Jason Riley, Columnist for The Wall Street Journal and Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute.
Arguing the negative: Ralph Richard Banks, Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor of Law at Stanford Law School.
Moderator: Carine Hajjar, Opinion Writer and Editorial Board Member at The Boston Globe; Steamboat Institute Fellow for Public Policy and American Exceptionalism.

We hope you enjoy this debate! 

Dan Mitchell, Ph.D., and Manisha Singh at our Campus Liberty Tour debate at the University of Texas, Austin, debating the resolution: “Be it resolved, the use of tariffs is beneficial to the American economy.” Want to catch more of our Campus Liberty Tour content? Subscribe to our channel to see all of our past debates!

Steamboat Institute, in partnership with the Cornell Political Union, Cornell Heterodox Academy, Cornellians United for Free Speech and Cornell Republicans, is proud to present a compelling debate on the following resolution: Be it resolved, American global dominance is the best defense against tyranny and evil. Arguing the affirmative is Mary Kissel, Executive VP and Senior Policy Advisor, Stephens, Inc.; Former Advisor to Secretary of State, Michael R. Pompeo. Arguing the negative is Justin Logan, Director of Defense and Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute. Moderator is Sarah Bedford, Investigations Editor for the Washington Examiner; Tony Blankley Fellow, Steamboat Institute.