50 Debates

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“POINTED POLITICAL DEBATE MINUS ALL THE SHOUTING: A series of ten provocative and informative live debates, five in the fall, five in the spring, on the hot-button concerns of the day. The debates are broadcast on NPR

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CELEBRATING 50 DEBATES &

attract as speakers the top experts, specialists and passionate advocates for both sides of each issue.” —

THE EVOLUTION OF

E L I Z A B E T H J E N S EN , THE NEW YORK TIMES , SEPTEMBER 21 , 2009

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D E B AT E S

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UNIVERSITY

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50 DEBATES: CELEBRATING 50 DEBATES & THE EVOLUTION OF INTELLIGENCE SQUARED DEBATES

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CELEBRATING 50 DEBATES & THE EVOLUTION OF

C R I C H TO N , PA N E L I S T



50 D E B AT E S

Celebrating 50 debates & the evolution of



For Rob ert R os enk r a n z & A le xa n d r a M u n r o e With admiration, gratitude and respect. Thank you for giving me the freedom and the tools to bring Intelligence Squared U.S. to life. —

da n a wo l f e

3



T

wo tables on a stage in New York City. That, at its most stark and most true, is both the architecture and the essence of Intelligence Squared U.S. Add to this tableau the “living ingredients” of a night spent engaged with IQ2US -- the debaters, the audience, the moderator, an energetic producer, and a founder who was dedicated to raising the level of public discourse in the United States. The resulting program is a unique sort of New York success story speaking from the very heart of Manhattan. It is the renewal of a time-honored form of argument: the formal debate. ■ From the first setting of those tables on a Wednesday night in September of 2006, with six sharp-minded guests arguing the pros and cons of a nuclear Iran, and over the course of the two score plus nine debates that followed, IQ2US would visit a range of issues encompassing the intellectual landscape.

INTRODUCTION

From war and sex to art and power, from finance and politics to cyberspace and crime, even how we sell movies and the way we eat, nearly 300 debaters have excited audiences with the power of ideas, in a setting that has succeeded more often than not in generating as much light as heat. By the standards set by IQ2US, of course, both light and heat are always welcome, as are wit, spontaneity, and occasional flashes of brilliance. ■ Inspired by his spouse, the art curator Alexandra Munroe, to offer a forum for ideas as a form of “living philanthropy,” Robert Rosenkranz has created something unique. It is also an unqualified success. Debate that is robust, entertaining, persuasive, informative, provocative, original and honest -- an uncommon thing in this day and age. IQ2US will always capture the essence of those two tables and a stage – along with the vision and energy to bring intelligent argument back to life.

INTRODUCTION 5


MAJOR REDUCTIONS IN CARBON EMISSIONS ARE NOT WORTH THE MONEY P.35

GOOGLE VIOLATES ITS “DON’T BE EVIL” MOTTO P.33

AMERICA IS FINALLY WINNING THE WAR IN IRAQ P.32

WE SHOULD LEGALIZE THE MARKET FOR HUMAN ORGANS P.29 TOUGH INTERROGATION OF TERROR SUSPECTS IS NECESSARY P.29 WE SHOULD ACCEPT PERFORMANCE- ENHANCING DRUGS IN COMPETITIVE SPORTS P.28

IT’S TIME TO END AFFIRMATIVE ACTION P.27

Let’s Stop Welcoming Undocumented Immigrants P.26 BEWARE THE DRAGON: A BOOMING CHINA SPELLS TROUBLE FOR AMERICA P.19

GLOBAL WARMING IS NOT A CRISIS P.16

P.14

Hollywood Has Fueled Anti-Americanism Abroad

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION MUST INCLUDE THE LICENSE TO OFFEND P.14

THE ART MARKET IS LESS ETHICAL THAN THE STOCK MARKET P.36

BUSH 43 IS THE WORST PRESIDENT OF THE LAST 50 YEARS P.34

GUNS REDUCE CRIME P.33

UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE SHOULD BE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSIBILITY P.32

ISLAM IS DOMINATED BY RADICALS P.29

AMERICA SHOULD BE THE WORLD’S POLICEMAN P.28

AID TO AFRICA IS DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD P.27

RUSSIA IS BECOMING OUR ENEMY AGAIN P.26

SPREADING DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS A BAD IDEA P.24 BETTER MORE DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE THAN ANOTHER 9/11 P.18

AMERICA IS TOO DAMN RELIGIOUS P.16

A Democratically-Elected Hamas Is Still A Terrorist Organization P.14

We Must Tolerate A Nuclear Iran P.12

6 A Visual History

23 25 21 19 17 15

13

11

01 03 05 07 09

20 22 24

18

16

14

12

02 04 06 08 10

HAMILTON AWARD P.48 MODERATORS P.10, P.22 | JOHN DONVAN P.30 BEFORE THE 1ST DEBATE P.8


FREEDOM OF THE PRESS DOES NOT EXTEND TO STATE SECRETS P.57

DIPLOMACY WITH IRAN IS GOING NOWHERE P.37

AMERICA CANNOT AND WILL NOT SUCCEED IN AFPAK P.41

OBAMA’S ECONOMIC POLICIES ARE WORKING EFFECTIVELY P.44

CALIFORNIA IS THE FIRST FAILED STATE P.46

DON’T BLAME TEACHERS UNIONS FOR OUR FAILING SCHOOLS P.46

OBAMA’S FOREIGN POLICY SPELLS AMERICA’S DECLINE P.47

TREAT TERRORISTS LIKE ENEMY COMBATANTS, NOT CRIMINALS P.52

BIG GOVERNMENT IS STIFLING THE AMERICAN SPIRIT P.53

US AIRPORTS SHOULD USE RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS PROFILING P.53

THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM IS MAKING AMERICA UNGOVERNABLE P.54

IT’S TIME TO CLIP AMERICA’S GLOBAL WINGS P.55

26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 BLAME WASHINGTON MORE THAN WALL STREET FOR THE FINANCIAL CRISIS P.36

Don’t give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses P.55

AFGHANISTAN IS A LOST CAUSE P.53

REPEAL OBAMACARE P.54

CLEAN ENERGY CAN DRIVE AMERICA’S ECONOMIC RECOVERY P.54

43 45 47 49 THE CYBER WAR THREAT HAS BEEN GROSSLY EXAGGERATED P.51

ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF PEACE P.52

41

AMERICA IS TO BLAME FOR MEXICO’S DRUG WAR P.45

THE US SHOULD STEP BACK FROM ITS SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL P.46

ORGANIC FOOD IS MARKETING HYPE P.47

33 35 37 39

BUY AMERICAN/HIRE AMERICAN POLICIES WILL BACKFIRE P.40

GOOD RIDDANCE TO MAINSTREAM MEDIA P.43

31

IT’S WRONG TO PAY FOR SEX P.37

27 29

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS P.64 NOTES P.62 RECEPTION P.60 REBRAND P.58

= WINNING TEAM

A Visual History 7


FAll 2005 Robert Rosenkranz sees an Intelligence Squared debate in London

B E F O R E T h E 1 S T D E B AT E

JANUARy 18, 2006 Robert Rosenkranz purchases rights to Intelligence Squared U.S.

8 beFORe THe 1sT DebATe


JANUARy 2006 Dana Wolfe is brought on to

JUly 2006 IQ2US goes online

lead the initiative

with the launch of the website WWW.IQ 2 us.o rG

sUMMeR 2006 First debate series announced at Asia Society

beFORe THe 1sT DebATe 9


RObeRT sIegel

J e F F R e y TO O b I N

0 1 : We Must Tolerate A

0 2 : Freedom Of Expression Must

Nuclear Iran

Include The License To Offend

FA L L 2 0 0 6 & S P R I N G 2 0 0 7 M O D E R AT O R S

J U Dy W O O D R U F F

beRNARD WeINRAUb

0 3 : A Democratically-Elected Hamas

0 4 : Hollywood Has Fueled

Is Still A Terrorist Organization

10 FAll 2006 & sPRINg 2007

Anti-Americanism Abroad


PeTeR sTeINFels

bRIAN leHReR

0 5 : America Is Too Damn

0 6 : Global Warming

Religious

Is Not A Crisis

CHRIs bURy

JAMes HARDINg

0 7 : Better More Domestic Surveillance Than

0 8 : Beware The Dragon: A Booming

Another 9/11

China Spells Trouble For America

FAll 2006 & sPRINg 2007 11


01 for the motion : against the motion :

September 27, 2006 George Perkovich, Karim Sadjadpour, Sanam Vakil Patrick Clawson, Reuel Marc Gerecht, William Kristol

moderator :

Robert Siegel

pre - debate vote :

post - debate vote :

26% 47% 26%

12 FALL 2006

We Must Tolerate A Nuclear Iran

37% FOR 53% against 10% unde cided


FALL 2006 13


Fall 2006 broadcast begins on 40 stations Today

2 2 5 + stations

03

A Democratically-Elected Hamas Is Still A Terrorist Organization November 29, 2006

for the motion :

Daniel Ayalon, Steven A. Cook, John O’Sullivan Stanley L. Cohen, Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, Mark Perry moderator : Judy Woodruff

against the motion :

pre - debate vote : 60% 19% 21%

02

post - debate vote : 53 % for 3 0% against 17% undecided

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION MUST INCLUDE THE LICENSE TO OFFEND October 18, 2006

Philip Gourevitch, Christopher Hitchens, Signe Wilkinson the motion : David Cesarani, Daisy Khan, Mari Matsuda moderator : Jeffrey Toobin

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 78% 11% 11%

post - debate vote : 83% for 16 % against 1% und ecid ed

04

Hollywood Has Fueled AntiAmericanism Abroad

December 13, 2006

James Hirsen, Roger Kimball, Joshua Muravchik the motion : Robin Bronk, Robert Greenwald, Richard Walter moderator : Bernard Weinraub

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 4 0% 35% 25%

14 FALL 2006

post - debate vote : 35% for 59 % ag ain st 6% und ecid ed


icy were getting too angry and

ist without cigarette smoke,” a

emotional,” the chairman of the

panelist for the motion, Roger

Rosenkranz Foundation, Robert

Kimball, said. “But Hollywood

Rosenkranz, said. ■ The debate

tends to make the malignancy

series should “expose people

worse.” ■ Mr. Kimball, an editor

America was part of a new live

to both sides of an argument

and publisher of the New Crite-

debate series called Intelligence

and foster greater respect for

rion, said Hollywood films foster

Squared, which is funded by the

the opposing view,” Mr. Rosen-

a view of America as “a decadent

Rosenkranz

The

kranz said. ■ Debaters have in-

society in love with nihilism.”

debate series is seeking to trade

cluded columnist Christopher

■ Speaking against the motion,

In a packed auditorium at the

punditry for dialogue, accord-

Hitchens, the editor of the Par-

a screen writer, Richard Wal-

Asia Society and Museum ear-

ing to the executive producer,

is Review, Philip Gourevitch,

ter, said Hollywood films “show

lier this month, a panel of distin-

Dana Wolfe. The series caters

and the Israeli ambassador

that we’re an open society.” The

guished scholars, editors, and

to an intellectual audience ea-

to the United Nations, Daniel

violence and sex in such films

filmmakers debated the motion:

ger for more than sound bites

Ayalon.■ ■ At the Hollywood de-

“was not invented by 11 Jews

“Hollywood fuels anti-American-

on political and social issues of

bate, witty and convincing ar-

at Paramount Studios a couple

ism abroad.” The hour-and-a-half

international concern. ■ “Media

guments were greeted with

of weeks ago.” ■ Before the de-

conversation about whether the

was getting too partisan, Con-

laughter and applause from the

bate, a majority of the audience

film industry or the war in Iraq

gress was getting too bitter and

audience. “Anti-Americanism

said they favored the motion

was more to blame for grow-

rancorous — even ordinary social

abroad would exist without Hol-

or were undecided; afterward,

ing international ill-will toward

conversations about public pol-

lywood, just as cancer would ex-

59% voted against the motion.

New Debate Series Addresses Pressing Questions of the Day

by a n n i e ka r n i , ja n ua ry 2 , 2007

Foundation.

“Media was getting too partisan, Congress was getting too bitter and rancorous — even ordinary social conversations about public policy were getting too angry and emotional.” – Robert Rosenkranz ■ Debate topics in the series range from whether America should tolerate a nuclear Iran to whether freedom of expression includes the right to offend. The debates have not been advertised, Mr. Rosenkranz said. Instead, he is sending out invitations to leading journalists, investment bankers, public policy scholars, and political donors. ■ “The idea is that the quality of the questions would be higher, and the evenings would have not only an intellectual dimension,

but also a social dimension,”

Ms. Spiers only criticism was of

prise Institute, Joshua Murav-

Mr. Rosenkranz said. ■ “I think

the format. “I think they let the

chik, said after participating in

the format causes the audience

panelists talk too long,” she said.

the Hollywood debate. ■ Intelli-

to focus much more intensely

■ The form is traditional, Oxford-

gence Square members who pay

than it would if it was just a lec-

debate style: one side of three

a minimum of $10,000 for the se-

ture on the same subject,” the

speakers proposes a motion and

ries are invited to dine with the

chief investment strategist for

another side of three speakers

panelists after the debates. Indi-

the hedge fund Pequot Capital,

opposes the motion. An impar-

vidual tickets are also available

Byron Wien, said. “There was

tial moderator presides over the

for $40 a debate.

an element of competition and

debate, and the audience, which

excitement about it.” ■ “The au-

votes before and after the de-

dience was very engaged, physi-

bate, decides the winner by its

cally responding to the debate,”

final vote. ■ “I came away with a

the publisher of Dead Horse

good feeling about the exercise,”

Media, Elizabeth Spiers, said.

a scholar at the American EnterFALL 2006 15


05

AMERICA IS TOO DAMN RELIGIOUS February 7, 2007

for the motion :

Susan Jacoby, Barry W. Lynn, Alan Wolfe Jean Bethke Elshtain, William A. Galston, Albert J. Raboteau moderator : Peter Steinfels

against the motion :

pre - debate vote : 6 8% 24% 8%

post - debate vote : 70% for 24% against 5 % und ecid ed

06

GLOBAL WARMING IS NOT A CRISIS March 14, 2007

for the motion :

Michael Crichton, Richard S. Lindzen, Philip Stott Brenda Ekwurzel, Gavin Schmidt, Richard C. J. Somerville moderator : Brian Lehrer

against the motion :

pre - debate vote : 3 0% 57% 13 %

The “Global warming is not a crisis� * debate draws national media attention and puts IQ2US on the map

16 SPRING 2007

post - debate vote : 4 6% for 4 2% again st 12% unde cid ed


posed by global warming since

the other hand, as New York-

at least the publication of his

ers living on low-lying islands,

1992 best-selling book “Earth

members

in the Balance.” His latest sally

would stand to lose a lot from

is the movie “An Inconvenient

the sort of rise in sea levels

Democratic presidential field

Truth.” According to the de-

that is warned of by Mr. Gore’s

in 2008, his appearance will

bate’s

Intelligence

movie and other global warm-

Vice President Gore returns

probably attract as much press

Squared U.S., before the de-

ing prognosticators. The audi-

this afternoon to the Senate

attention as his appearance

bate, 57% of the audience was

ence at the event, which was

in which he represented the

at the Oscars, which is to say,

against the resolution - that is,

an initiative of the Rosenkranz

Volunteer State and served,

a lot. ■ So it is a small’ point

they thought global warming

Foundation, was exposed to

as vice president, as the tie

worth mentioning in advance

is a crisis. By the end of the de-

an hour and 45 minutes of

breaking vote. He will be tes-

that at a recent debate here in

bate, support for the “against”

debate by some of the top ex-

tifying before the Committee

New York City on the question

camp had eroded to 42%, while

perts on the topic, with writer

on Environment and Public

“Global warming is not a cri-

a plurality of the audience,

Michael Crichton and MIT me-

Works, which has scheduled a

sis,” an audience of hundreds

46%, agreed with the proposi-

teorology professor Richard

full committee hearing titled,

of

sophisticated

tion that “Global warming is

Lindzen arguing “not a crisis”

“Vice President AI Gore’s Per-

New Yorkers started out pret-

not a crisis.” ■ On the one hand,

and Richard Somerville of the

spective on Global Warming.”

ty much in agreement with

this audience may not be rep-

Scripps Institution of Ocean-

With speculation afoot that

Mr. Gore. The Tennessean has

resentative of overall scientific

ography and Gavin Schmidt of

Mr. Gore could yet enter the

been warning of the danger

or even American opinion. On

NASA arguing that it is a crisis.

Gore’s Return

m a r c h 21 , 2007

reasonably

sponsor,

of

the

audience

Republican on the Senate environment committee, Senator Inhofe, has featured on his Web site an account of the New York debate that reports, “The New York City audience laughed as Gore became the butt of humor during the debate.” If the global warming alarmists displayed more of their own sense of humor, they might find themselves winning more debates, a fact ■ It may be prudent to act preemptively to avert a threat before it rises to the level of a crisis, though for some reason those who favor such actions in respect of global warming tend

to oppose them in the ease of

is sensible even if the onset

that Mr. Gore has no doubt had

rogue states such as Saddam

of the crisis is uncertain. But

plenty of time to reflect on in

Hussein’s Iraq, and vice versa.

the suggested preemptive ac-

the long years since President

And it may be that,because the

tions have costs, too, some of

Bush bested him in the debate

potential effect of a crisis is so

them quite extensive, others

for the presidency.

dire, some pre-emptive action

of them less so. ■ The ranking

SPRING 2007 17


07 for the motion : against the motion : moderator :

pre - debate vote :

41 % 37% 22%

18 SPRING 2007

BETTER MORE DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE THAN ANOTHER 9/11 April 18, 2007 David Frum, Andrew C. McCarthy, John Yoo Bob Barr, Jeffrey Rosen, Nadine Strossen Chris Bury post - debate vote :

40% FOR 5 5 % against 5 % unde cided


April 18, 2007 IQ2US goes to electronic voting

08 for the motion : against the motion : moderator :

BEWARE THE DRAGON: A BOOMING CHINA SPELLS TROUBLE FOR AMERICA May 16, 2007

Bill Gertz, John J. Mearsheimer, Michael Pillsbury James McGregor, Daniel H. Rosen, J. Stapleton Roy James Harding pre - debate vote :

41% 37% 22%

post - debate vote :

35 % FOR 59% again st 6% und e cided

SPRING 2007 19


A Hobby That’s Part Party, Part Debate, All Intellect

e r i c ko n i g s b e r g , j u n e 2 , 2007

When it comes to worthy recipients of noblesse largesse, a well-meaning multimillionaire in New York has no shortage of gratifying options: the sick and the poor; cultural institutions; universities; the public sector. ■ But Robert Rosenkranz, an investor and philanthropist who runs Delphi Financial Group, a $5 billion insurance concern, has instead been leveraging his

standing — and a small percentage of his wealth — in the name of a somewhat less tangible cause: the ultimate dinner party conversation. ■ Along with his wife, Alexandra Munroe, a curator at the Guggenheim Museum, Mr. Rosenkranz has begun to establish himself on New York’s arts-and-letters circuits as a host of high-powered salons. Since last fall he has been holding a series of “Oxford-style” public policy debates at the Asia Society and Museum on Park Avenue and 70th Street. ■ The public debates are fol-

▲ Robert Rosenkranz, an investor and philanthropist who began the IQ2 U.S.debates, in his Midtown offices.

lowed by dinners at neighborhood restaurants, where the debaters — including such authors as Michael Crichton and Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Ayalon, the Israeli ambassador to the United States, all of whom receive honorariums — mingle with a carefully selected group of 40 or so “movers and shakers” from the worlds of finance, philanthropy and the press, to quote from a letter Mr. Rosenkranz sent to benefactors. ■ “I wanted there to be a social dimension in addition to having an intellectual dimension — that was very important,” Mr. Rosenkranz said. “People keep talking and arguing long into the night.” ■ Unlike the art

collector who might see an advantage in befriending an artist whose rare work he covets, Mr. Rosenkranz’s goal is entirely experiential: he stands to gain nothing besides a good time. For him that means upgrading the caliber of what those around him at any given moment have to say. And it comes at a time when market forces have made it ever more difficult for genuine bohemians in New York City to even inhabit the same borough as the rich. ■ In addition to the debates, his efforts include informal dinners and parties for influence-makers at his apartment in River House, near Sutton Place, and his oceanfront estate in East Hampton.

Some of his guests are writers and thinkers with whom he struck up friendships after extending cold-call invitations. (Guests at his various functions have run the gamut from the charity-circuit regulars Georgette Mosbacher and Shelby White to the writer Andrew Solomon and Thomas Struth, the German photographer.) ■ “I’d never heard of the guy, but he wanted me to come to his apartment and talk to a few friends about my book ‘Terror and Liberalism,’ ” recalled Paul Berman, who received such a call a couple of years back. “I was skeptical, but the person who called persuaded me that this was something not to miss.

Eventually, the anthropologist in me was stirred.” ■ The two of them quickly became friends, despite Mr. Berman’s liberal politics and Mr. Rosenkranz’s decades-long support of conservative organizations like the Manhattan Institute. ■ “At dinner, it was a lot of conservatives, people in finance, and Bob put a wrenchingly difficult question to me,” Mr. Berman said. “Basically, he said my ideological analyses of terrorism were all very fine and good, but couldn’t Al Qaeda be explained as a rational power move in Saudi Arabia? We ended up having the sort of frank but open-minded discussion that is amazingly difficult to have nowadays.”

20 A Hobby That’s Part Party, Part Debate, All Intellect, New york Times


■ Many who have been on the receiving end of Mr. Rosenkranz’s invitations consider it refreshing that he is willing to embrace people from across both an ideological aisle and perhaps a socioeconomic — or at least occupational — divide. ■ “He’s a very engaging and interesting man who obviously derives real pleasure in being able to put people together to talk about really interesting things,” said Philip Gourevitch, an author and the editor of The Paris Review, who, in addition to participating in one of Mr. Rosenkranz’s debates, went to his holiday party at River House last year and has stayed in touch with him. ■ On a weekend visit to Mr. Rosenkranz’s

house on Long Island, Mr. Berman said, he initiated a philosophical conversation about his car — a 1981 Toyota — and how, despite the financial impracticality of owning it in the city, he was reluctant to give up the convenience it represented psychologically. ■ “Bob said he had exactly the same feelings in regard to his private jet share,” Mr. Berman said. ■ From his offices high above Madison Avenue, Mr. Rosenkranz oversees Delphi, two investment funds and the Rosenkranz Foundation. Lunch is prepared by his private chef, whom he summons from the office kitchen with a silent, cordless plastic button that resembles a garage door opener. He is 64 and has a

reticent, self-effacing manner that recalls professional beginnings in the think-tank world. ■ He grew up middle class on the Upper West Side and graduated from Yale and Harvard Law, then worked for the rightleaning RAND Corporation during its cold war heyday. In 1969 he embarked on what he called his “real career” pioneering leveraged buyouts for the Oppenheimer Group. ■ “I felt the level of civility in public life had just gotten dreadful,” Mr. Rosenkranz said of his decision to start the debate series. “And when I suggested some kind of oppositional debates to people at the Manhattan Institute and at the American Enterprise Institute, the response was always, ‘It’s

not our mission in life to give them a forum, and there’s nobody smart on the other side.’” ■ As a birthday present to him two years ago, his wife hired a consultant to put together a detailed report on debate programs in the United States and in Europe and recommend a course of action. ■ This led to a couple of trips to London to witness a popular debate series, Intelligence Squared (often called IQ2), which Mr. Rosenkranz liked so much he decided to simply start an American version of it, IQ2 U.S. Though it is very much a hobby for Mr. Rosenkranz, and is a nonprofit initiative of his foundation, he approached it as a professional venture and left little to chance.

■ “We’ve just done everything first class,” Mr. Rosenkranz said. “I mean, the dinners are nice, the brochures are beautiful, the production values on the radio” — podcasts are available on NPR’s Web site — “are first class, the crowd brings the kind of buzz we intended.” ■ Subject matters have included free speech, global warming and whether America is too religious. It costs $40 to attend, and all but one of the eight debates so far were sold out. ■ “It’s struck me ever since I’ve been here that this is exactly what our own system is lacking,” said Mr. Hitchens, an Oxford alumnus. “Congress says they have debates, but

they’re really speeches seriatim. Discourse on TV is boring; it’s either vulgar or too polite. The presidential debate here is more like a joint press conference.” ■ Mr. Crichton said that he, too, had long hungered for a forum like IQ2 U.S., “and I hope it has some sort of viral effect.” ■ April’s debate, which focused on domestic surveillance, was vigorous and sporting. Mr. Rosenkranz said a few words at the outset, then, for the rest of the evening, vanished from the view of everybody in the audience of about 300 who was not making a point of looking for him. Such, perhaps, is the role of the perfect host: to get the party

started, then watch from the wings as everybody else has a good time. ■ In preparation, however, he is said to obsess over his own contributions to the program — from deciding on the language that frames the one-line debate question, to having a salaried researcher pull articles from the Internet so that he can brush up on the appropriate topics before the dinners, to meticulously arranging the seating charts for those dinners. ■ IQ2 U.S. brochures classify donors, depending on their level of generosity, as “bright,” “brilliant” or “genius.” Mr. Hitchens surmised that the preoccupation with intellect had something

to do with the notion that people who have made a lot of money by working with money have a need for the world to understand the candlepower required. ■ “I think there’s a big incentive among people in finance to prove to themselves that they aren’t just bean counters or whatever,” he said, adding that he had recently been paid to attend a small dinner party with a group of strangers from the hedge fund industry. “They don’t want to just be the fat guy with a cigar in the New Yorker cartoon.”

A Hobby That’s Part Party, Part Debate, All Intellect, New york Times 21


JOHN HOCkeNbeRRy

e D WA R D l U C A s

1 0 : Let’s Stop Welcoming

1 1 : Russia Is Becoming Our

Undocumented Immigrants

Enemy Again

FA L L 2 0 0 7 & S P R I N G 2 0 0 8 M O D E R AT O R S

RObeRT sIegel 0 9 : Spreading Democracy In

The Middle East Is A Bad Idea

1 2 : It’s Time To End

Affirmative Action

bRIAN leHReR 1 3 : Aid To Africa Is Doing

More Harm Than Good

22 FAll 2007 & sPRINg 2008

b O b C O s TA s 1 4 : We Should Accept Performance-

Enhancing Drugs In Competitive Sports


MORley sAFeR 1 5 : America Should Be The World’s

Policeman

b R O O k e g l A D s TO N e

I R A F l AT O W

1 6 : Tough Interrogation Of Terror

1 7 : We Should Legalize The Market

Suspects Is Necessary

For Human Organs

FAll 2007 & sPRINg 2008 23


September 2007 Second season begins with a first-ever televised broadcast of IQ2US debate on WNET/Thirteen

09 for the motion : against the motion : moderator :

pre - debate vote :

46%

September 18, 2007 Flynt Leverett, Dimitri K. Simes, Shibley Telhami Liz Cheney, Danielle Pletka, Natan Sharansky Robert Siegel post - debate vote :

5 5 % FOR

36% 1 8%

24 FALL 2007

SPREADING DEMOCRACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS A BAD IDEA

40% against 5 % und e cided


DO U HAVE A HIGH RES?

FALL 2007 25


10

leT’s sTOP WelCOMINg UNDOCUMeNTeD IMMIgRANTs October 39, 2007

Vernon M. Briggs, Jr., Mark Krikorian, Heather Mac Donald the motion : Daniel T. Griswold, Enrique Morones, Karen K. Narasaki moderator : John Hockenberry

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 42 % 3 4% 24%

post - debate vote : 6 0 % FOR 37% AgAINsT 3% U ND e CID eD

11

RUssIA Is beCOMINg OUR eNeMy AgAIN October 30, 2007

Claudia Rosett, Bret Stephens, J. Michael Waller Nina Khrushcheva, Robert Legvold, Mark Medish moderator : Edward Lucas

for the motion : against the motion :

pre - debate vote : 41% 23 % 3 6%

26 FAll 2007

post - debate vote : 47% FOR 41% Ag A IN sT 12% UNDeCIDeD


12

IT’s TIMe TO eND AFFIRMATIVe ACTION November 13, 2007

John H. McWhorter, Terence J. Pell, Joseph C. Philips the motion : Khin Mai Aung, Kimberlé W. Crenshaw, Tim Wise moderator : Robert Siegel

for the motion : against

pre - debate vote : 3 4% 44% 22%

post - debate vote : 40% FOR 55 % AgAINsT 6 % U ND eCIDeD

13

AID TO AFRICA Is DOINg MORe HARM THAN gOOD December 4, 2007

George Ayittey, William Easterly, David Rieff the motion : C. Payne Lucas, John McArthur, Gayle Smith moderator : Brian Lehrer

for the motion : against

pre - debate vote : 24 % 34% 22%

post - debate vote : 41 % FOR 5 1 % AgA IN sT 8 % U N DeCIDeD

Fall 2007 Topics span The globe russia

middle easT

usa

meXico aFrica

FAll 2007 27


14

WE SHOULD ACCEPT PERFORMANCEENHANCING DRUGS IN COMPETITIVE SPORTS January 15, 2008

Radley Balko, Norman Fost, Julian Savulescu George Michael, Dale Murphy, Richard Pound moderator : Bob Costas

for the motion :

against the motion :

pre - debate vote : 18% 63% 19 %

post - debate vote : 37% FOR 59% AGAINST 4% U ND ECIDED

15

AMERICA SHOULD BE THE WORLD’S POLICEMAN

February 12, 2008

Max Boot, Michael Mandelbaum, Douglas Murray Ian Bremmer, Ellen Laipson, Matthew Parris moderator : Morley Safer

for the motion :

against the motion :

pre - debate vote : 24 % 44% 3 2%

28 SPRING 2008

post - debate vote : 47% FO R 4 8% AGA I N ST 5% UN DECI DED


16

TOUGH INTERROGATION OF TERROR SUSPECTS IS NECESSARY

March 11, 2008

Rick Francona, Heather Mac Donald, David Rivkin the motion : Jack Cloonan, John Hutson, Darius Rejali moderator : Brooke Gladstone

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 4 6% 35% 19%

post - debate vote : 4 0% FO R 53 % AGA I N ST 7% UN DECI DE D

SPRING 2008

17

ISLAM IS DOMINATED BY RADICALS

April 15, 2008

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Paul Marshall, Asra Q. Nomani the motion : Reza Aslan, Richard Bulliet, Edina Lekovic moderator : Robert Siegel

for the motion : against

pre - debate vote : 46 % 32 % 22%

post - debate vote : 73% FOR 2 3% AGAIN ST 4% U ND ECI DED

18

WE SHOULD LEGALIZE THE MARKET FOR HUMAN ORGANS

May 13, 2008

Lloyd R. Cohen, Amy L. Friedman, Sally Satel the motion : James F. Childress, Francis L. Delmonico, David Rothman moderator : Ira Flatow

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 44% 27% 29%

post - debate vote : 60% FO R 3 1% AGA IN ST 9% UN D E CIDE D

SPRING 2008 29


J o h n D on van J O I NS I NTELL I G ENCE SQUARED AS THE OFFICIAL MODERATOR September 16, 2008

30 FALL 2008


“I think of it as the best seat in the house: to be positioned between the debating teams, where I can see in close-up the set of their jaw as they speak to win, hear better than anyone their every disgruntled aside about something an opponent just

said, and be first on my feet to congratulate the winners of the evening when I finish announcing the closing vote. It’s the perfect combination of privilege and challenge to be up there as moderator. Or referee. Or train conductor. Or bee herder. Or all

of those things. ■ And fun, too. The intellectual jolt I get from having to ride the current of these powerful arguments is like nothing else I’ve experienced. And the sense that this is something that really matters makes I Q 2 U S something

I am grateful to be a part of. As I am also grateful to both Robert Rosenkranz, for creating the series, and Dana Wolfe, for putting every one of these debates together.” – j o h n d o n va n

FALL 2008 31


20

September 2008 IQ2US moves to the Caspary Auditorium at Rockefeller University

AMERICA IS FINALLY WINNING THE WAR IN IRAQ October 7, 2008

Frederick W. Kagan , General Jack Keane (Ret.) the motion : Charles Ferguson, Sir Malcolm Rifkind moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 20% 54% 26%

post - debate vote : 3 6% FOR 53% AG A IN ST 1 1 % U N DE CIDE D

FA L L 2 0 0 8

19

UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE SHOULD BE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSIBILITY

September 16, 2008

Art Kellermann, Paul Krugman, Michael Rachlis the motion : Michael F. Cannon, Sally C. Pipes, John Stossel moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 49% 24 % 27%

32 FALL 2008

post - debate vote : 58% FO R 3 4 % AGA I N ST 8% UN DECI DED


21

GUNS REDUCE CRIME

October 28, 2008

Stephen Halbrook, Gary Kleck, John R. Lott the motion : John J. Donohue, Paul Helmke, R. Gil Kerlikowske moderator : John Donvan

for the motion : against

pre - debate vote : 13% 60% 27 %

post - debate vote : 27% FOR 63% AGAINST 10 % U ND ECIDED

22

GOOGLE VIOLATES ITS “DON’T BE EVIL” MOTTO November 18, 2008

Harry Lewis, Randal C. Picker, Siva Vaidhyanathan the motion : Esther Dyson, Jim Harper, Jeff Jarvis moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 21% 3 1% 4 8%

post - debate vote : 47 % FOR 47 % AG A IN ST 6% U N DE CIDE D

FALL 2008 33


23 for the motion : against the motion : moderator :

pre - debate vote :

BUSH 43 IS THE WORST PRESIDENT OF THE LAST 50 YEARS December 2, 2008 Simon Jenkins, Jacob Weisberg William Kristol, Karl Rove John Donvan post - debate vote :

68 % FOR

6 5% 1 7% 1 8%

27% again st 5% und e cided

Debate draws protestors and required extra security for Karl Rove

34 FALL 2008


24 for the motion : against the motion :

MAJOR REDUCTIONS IN CARBON EMISSIONS ARE NOT WORTH THE MONEY January 13, 2009 Peter Huber, Bjorn Lomborg, Philip Stott L. Hunter Lovins, Oliver Tickell, Adam Werbach

moderator :

John Donvan

pre - debate vote :

post - debate vote :

16% 50 % 35%

42% FOR 48 % again st 10% und e cided

23rd and 24th debates were recorded for BBC World News Television at Symphony Space

SPRING 2009 35


25

THE ART MARKET IS LESS ETHICAL THAN THE STOCK MARKET February 3, 2009

Richard Feigen, Michael Hue-Williams, Adam Lindemann the motion : Amy Cappellazzo, Chuck Close, Jerry Saltz moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 32 % 30% 38%

post - debate vote : 5 5 % FOR 33% AGAINST 12 % U ND ECID ED

26

BLAME WASHINGTON MORE THAN WALL STREET FOR THE FINANCIAL CRISIS

March 17, 2009

Niall Ferguson, John Steele Gordon, Nouriel Roubini the motion : Alex Berenson, Jim Chanos, Nell Minow moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 4 2% 3 0% 28%

36 SPRING 2009

post - debate vote : 60% FOR 3 1% AG A IN ST 9% U N DE CIDE D


27

IT’S WRONG TO PAY FOR SEX April 21, 2009

Melissa Farley, Catharine MacKinnon, Wendy Shalit the motion : Sydney Barrows, Tyler Cowen, Lionel Tiger moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 2 0% 41% 3 4%

post - debate vote : 45 % FOR 46 % AGAINST 9 % U ND ECID ED

pre - debate vote : 2 5% 41% 34%

post - debate vote 58 % FOR 3 4% AGAINST 8 % U ND ECID ED

pre - debate vote : 13% 61% 26%

post - debate vote 27% FOR 66% AGAINST 7% U ND ECID ED

28

DIPLOMACY WITH IRAN IS GOING NOWHERE May 12, 2009

Liz Cheney, Dan Senor the motion : Amb. Nicholas Burns, Kenneth Pollack moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 34% 33% 33%

post - debate vote : 35 % FOR 59% AG A IN ST 6% U N DE CIDE D

SPRING 2009 37


IQ2US moves to the Skirball Center

FA L L 2 0 0 9

The IQ2US set is born

38 FALL 2009


IQ2US launches media partnership with magazine

Picks up IQ2US globally

FALL 2009 39


29 for the motion : against the motion :

September 21, 2009 Jagdish Bhagwati, Douglas Irwin, Amb. Susan C. Schwab Leo W. Gerard, John R. MacArthur, Jeff Madrick

moderator :

John Donvan

pre - debate vote :

post - debate vote :

72% FOR

57%

40 FALL 2009

BUY AMERICAN/HIRE AMERICAN POLICIES WILL BACKFIRE

20%

14% again st

23%

14% und e cided


30 for the motion : against the motion :

AMERICA CANNOT AND WILL NOT SUCCEED IN AFPAK October 6, 2009 Steve Clemons, Patrick Lang, Ralph Peters Steve Coll, John Nagl, James Shinn

moderator :

John Donvan

pre - debate vote :

post - debate vote :

4 8%

43% FOR 2 5%

45 % again st 12% unde cided

FALL 2009 41


42 FALL 2009


31 for the motion : against the motion : moderator :

GOOD RIDDANCE TO MAINSTREAM MEDIA October 27, 2009 John Hockenberry, Jim VandeHei, Michael Wolff Phil Bronstein, David Carr, Katrina vanden Heuvel John Donvan

pre - debate vote :

post - debate vote :

25 %

24% FOR

50%

68 % again st 25 %

8 % unde cided

Featured in Page One: Inside the New York Times documentary

FALL 2009 43


32 for the motion : against the motion :

November 16, 2009 Lawrence Mishel, Steven Rattner, Mark Zandi James Galbraith, Allan Meltzer, Eliot Spitzer

moderator :

John Donvan

pre - debate vote :

post - debate vote :

32% 29% 39%

44 FALL 2009

OBAMA’S ECONOMIC POLICIES ARE WORKING EFFECTIVELY

46% FOR 42% again st 12% und e cided


33 for the motion : against the motion :

AMERICA IS TO BLAME FOR MEXICO’S DRUG WAR December 1, 2009 Andrés Martinez, Jeffrey Miron, Fareed Zakaria Jorge Castañeda, Chris Cox, Asa Hutchinson

moderator :

John Donvan

pre - debate vote :

post - debate vote :

43% 22% 35%

72% FOR 22% again st 6% unde cided

FALL 2009 45


35

THE US SHOULD STEP BACK FROM ITS SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH ISRAEL February 9, 2010

Roger Cohen, Rashid Khalidi the motion : Stuart Eizenstat, Itamar Rabinovich moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

34

pre - debate vote : 33% 4 2% 25%

CALIFORNIA IS THE FIRST FAILED STATE January 19, 2010

post - debate vote : 49% for 47 % ag ain sT 4 % und ecid ed

Andreas Kluth, Bobby Shriver, Sharon Waxman the motion : Gray Davis, Van Jones, Lawrence O’Donnell moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 31% 25% 44%

post - debate vote : 5 8 % for 37% against 5 % und ecid ed

36

DON’T BLAME TEACHERS UNIONS FOR OUR FAILING SCHOOLS March 16, 2010

Kate McLaughlin, Gary Smuts, Randi Weingarten the motion : Terry Moe, Rod Paige, Larry Sand moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 24 % 43% 33%

46 SPRING 2010

post - debate vote : 25% for 68% against 7% undecided


38

OBAMA’S FOREIGN POLICY SPELLS AMERICA’S DECLINE May 11, 2010

Dan Senor, Mort Zuckerman the motion : Wesley Clark, Bernard-Henri Lévy moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 23% 45% 32%

post - debate vote : 3 4 % for 5 8 % AG A IN ST 8 % U N DE CIDE D

SPRING 2010

37

ORGANIC FOOD IS MARKETING HYPE April 13, 2010

Dennis Avery, Blake Hurst, Lord John Krebs the motion : Charles Benbrook, Urvashi Rangan, Jeffrey Steingarten moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 2 1% 45 % 3 4%

post - debate vote : 2 1% for 69 % against 10 % und ecid ed

SPRING 2010 47


ALEXANDER HAMILTON AWA R D D I N N E R

The Alexander Hamilton Award was created to celebrate New York and honor those individuals helping to foster the revitalization of our nation’s cities. We chose to name the award after Hamilton because, like the Manhattan Institute, he was a fervent proponent of commerce and civic life, and he believed the health of the nation hinged upon vibrant cities. He was also the quintessential New Yorker. Hamilton went to university, joined the army, and practiced law in New York. His last home stands in Harlem; his grave is at the crown of Wall Street across from the Bank of New York, which he started; the newspaper he founded, the New York

Post, is still a powerful voice in the city he loved. New York’s style— passionate, entrepreneurial, ambitious, and inclusive—reflected his vision of America and shaped his politics.

Hamilton’s greatest contribution to New York, the nation, and the science of self-government was the Federalist Papers, the series of newspaper articles written, along with James Madison and John Jay,

THE 10 TH ANNUAL MANHATTAN INSTITUTE

Alexander Hamilton AWAR D D I N N E R

APRIL 28, 2010

April 28, 2010 Robert Rosenkranz honored for IQ2US with Alexander Hamilton Award

48 HAMILTON AWARD

under the pseudonym Publius. These articles sought to persuade the American people that the proposed federal constitution was a good idea and should be ratified. While we have prospered for two centuries by taking Publius’s advice, it must be remembered that success was never guaranteed—nor did it exempt us from maintaining and improving what the nation’s founders built. For over 30 years, the Manhattan Institute has worked to create a climate of opinion in the mainstream media that supports this “experiment in self-government.”

WELCOMING REMARKS Paul E. Singer Chairman of the Board, Manhattan Institute

2010 HONOREES Wendy Kopp Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Teach For America INTRODUCED BY

Robert K. Steel

Former President and Chief Executive Officer Wachovia Corporation

& Robert Rosenkranz Founder, Intelligence Squared US Debates Chief Executive Officer, Delphi Financial Group, Inc. Trustee, Manhattan Institute INTRODUCED BY

Daniel P. Henninger Deputy Editor, Editorial Page The Wall Street Journal


HAMILTON AWARD 49


JUNE 2010 Intelligence Squared debates in Washington, D.C. at the Newseum

50 SPRING 2010


39 for the motion : against the motion : moderator :

pre - debate vote :

24%

THE CYBER WAR THREAT HAS BEEN GROSSLY EXAGGERATED JUNE 8, 2010 Marc Rotenberg, Bruce Schneier Mike McConnell, Jonathan Zittrain John Donvan post - debate vote

23% FOR 7 1% again st

54% 22%

6% unde cided

Calls were taken from the CIA, FBI, White House, NSC and DIA to attend

SPRING 2010 51


1st Tweet: Intelligence Squared debates Islam 10/6. More info and panelist bios at http://bit.ly/9QaQR1

40

TREAT TERRORISTS LIKE ENEMY COMBATANTS, NOT CRIMINALS September 14, 2010

Michael Hayden, Marc Thiessen Stephen Jones, David Frakt moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against the motion :

pre - debate vote : 33% 3 2% 35%

post - debate vote : 39% for 55% against 6% undecided

FA L L 2 0 1 0

41

ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF PEACE October 6, 2010

Zeba Khan, Maajid Nawaz the motion : Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Douglas Murray moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 41 % 25 % 34%

52 Fall 2010

post - debate vote : 3 6% for 5 5 % again st 9% und ecid ed


42

BIG GOVERNMENT IS STIFLING THE AMERICAN SPIRIT October 26, 2010

Phil Gramm, Art Laffer the motion : Laura Tyson, Nouriel Roubini moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 29% 44% 27 %

post - debate vote : 49% for 4 3 % aga in st 8% un decided

43

AFGHANISTAN IS A LOST CAUSE November 10, 2011

Matthew Hoh, Nir Rosen the motion : Peter Bergen, Max Boot moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 4 6% 23 % 31%

44

post - debate vote : 5 1 % for 3 6% ag a i n st 1 3 % un deci ded

US AIRPORTS SHOULD USE RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS PROFILING November 22, 2010

Robert Baer, Deroy Murdock, Asra Q. Nomani the motion : Hassan Abbas, Deb Burlingame, Michael Chertoff moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 37% 33% 3 0%

post - debate vote : 49% for 4 0% agai n sT 11% un d eci ded

FALL 2010 53


45

REPEAL OBAMACARE January 11, 2011

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, John Shadegg the motion : Jonathan Cohn, Paul Starr moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 17% 47 % 36 %

post - debate vote : 2 2 % for 72% against 6 % und e cided

47

CLEAN ENERGY CAN DRIVE AMERICA’S ECONOMIC RECOVERY March 8, 2011

Bill Ritter, Kassia Yanosek the motion : Robert Bryce, Steven Hayward moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 4 6% 21 % 33 %

post - debate vote : 4 3 % for 47 % ag ain st 1 0% und ecid ed

spring 2 0 1 1

46

THE TWO-PARTY SYSTEM IS MAKING AMERICA UNGOVERNABLE February 15, 2011

David Brooks, Arianna Huffington the motion : Zev Chafets, P.J. O’Rourke moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 4 6% 24% 3 0%

54 SPRING 2011

post - debate vote : 50% for 4 0% against 10% undecided


MAY 2011 IQ2US.org hits more than 1,000,000 pageviews

48

IT’S TIME TO CLIP AMERICA’S GLOBAL WINGS April 5, 2011

Peter Galbraith, Lawrence Korb the motion : Elliott Abrams, Eliot Cohen moderator : John Donvan

for the motion :

against

pre - debate vote : 37% 26% 37%

post - debate vote : 47% for 44% against 9 % und ecid ed

49

Don’t give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses May 3, 2011

for the motion :

Kris Kobach, Tom Tancredo Mayor Julián Castro, Tamar Jacoby moderator : John Donvan

against the motion :

pre - debate vote : 18% 54 % 3 0%

post - debate vote : 35% for 52% again st 13 % undecid ed

SPRING 2011 55


56 THE 50TH DEB ATE


Freedom oF The press does noT eXTend To sTaTe secreTs June 8, 2011 Michael Chertoff, Gabriel Schoenfeld Alan Dershowitz, David Sanger John Donvan

50 for the motion

against the motion moderator

The First Amendment protects freedom of the press, but how do we reconcile the conflict between national security and accountability? Do we err on the side of secrecy or transparency? From the Pentagon Papers to WikiLeaks, join the debate between the need for government secrecy and the public’s right to know.

THe 50TH DebATe 57


B efore

A fter i n d u st ry s e t t i n g : Intelligence Squared poses

experts head-to-head for an exciting contest of ideas, wit and persuasion in a series of provocative and timely debates. From global warming to the economic crisis, the goal is to provide a new forum for intelligent discussion that transcends the reflexively ideological mainstream media. Attend live in NYC, watch globally on Bloomberg TV, or listen on NPR. c h a l l e n g e : The challenge was to connect the visual

identity with the personality and spirit of the brand itself. Intelligence Squared originated as an exclusive salon for Manhattan’s Upper Eastside. The former identity was lifeless, presidential, and failed to communicate a brand story. When the debate series moved downtown and secured international distribution rights, the brand needed to capture the essence of the organization as a stimulating battleground of ideas and appeal to a broader audience.

st r at e gy : The revised communication strategy

needed to accomplish three concurrent objectives: introduce the organization’s mission quickly and clearly; advertise the entertainment value of live debate to potential ticket buyers; and promote the debate content to a wide ranging television, radio, and online audience. The visual brand language needed to support this plan by developing a contemporized brand language that is bold, compelling and emotive, while still communicating the brand story to an intellectually sophisticated target demographic. r e s u lt : The new identity and website served as a

powerful launch platform for the Fall 2010 Debate Series. Through a revised communication strategy and visual language, the brand voice now successfully illuminates the core values of the brand itself. Ticket sales, new audience procurement (across all audiences), web traffic, and time spent on site have all experienced gains by at least 30%.

58 REBRAND


February 23, 2011 IQ2US

a w ard : notable

wins a Rebrand Award: Notable

REBRAND 59


RECEPTION

60 RECEPTION


RECEPTION 61


62 NOTes


congraTs & Thank you noTes

NOTes 63


radio roduction

NPR -- Margaret Low Smith, Eric Nuzum, Erica Ryan Ellen Horne, Radio Producer (WNYC) Ed Haber, Recording Engineer (WNYC) Rob Christiansen, Radio Producer 2006Maureen McMurray, Radio Producer 2008Damon Whittemore, Recording Engineer, Tritone Digital 2006Kristin Mueller, Tritone Digital

stage

&

television production

Bloomberg Television--David Rhodes, Maia Samuels, Eric Wagner, Sarah Scully Metrovision, Frank Berman Rob Lewis, Technical Production Manager Grant Shafe, Production Assistant George Allison, Set Designer Rick Siegel, Lighting Jennifer Wollan, Video Editor

Thank you to everyone who has made IQ2US such public radio marketing graphics , design

&

Blakeley & Co. -- Deb Blakeley & Joan Miller

web

BGT Partners

public relations

Graphic Designers Miko McGinty & Rita Jules Treehouse Collective -- Chris Maiorino, Nick Ruzhnikov, Brian Carley

Lisa Dallos & Robert Pini, High 10 Media Eileen Murphy, Publicist The Weiser Group--Michael Weiser, Jonathan Cohen, Karol Sheinen Brown Lloyd James

venues

Asia Society 2006-2008 Caspary Auditorium, Rockefeller University 2008-2009 Symphony Space December 2008 - January 2009 Newseum, Washington, D.C. June 2010 NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts September 2009 -

64 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS


media partners

NPR WNYC Newsweek

dedicated volunteers

Bloomberg Television

Cyndi Pogue, Hazel Crews, Rebecca Monroe, Sara Burningham

corporate / foundation sponsors

Mary Ann Crouse, iCount

American Clean Skies 2010 / 2011

IQ2

london --John Gordon, Jeremy O’Grady, Laura La Frenais, Hannah Kaye,

Neustar, June 2010 photography

Kevin Wick, Longview Photography Chris Vultaggio, Photographer transportation

DirectLimos -- Eric Welle

a success and making what we do possible intelligence squared u . s . virtual advisory board

James Blue III, Max Boot, Chris Bury, Devon Cross, Chris DeMuth, Van Greenfield, John Gordon, Roger Hertog, Stephen Hessler, Philip K. Howard, Sara Just, Herb London, Myron Magnet, Alexandra Munroe, Su-Lin Cheng Nichols, Gerry Ohrstrom, Ellen Palevsky, Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz, Nadia Schadlow, Paul Singer, Fareed Zakaria

Robert Rosenkranz is Founder and Chairman of Intelligence Squared U.S. Foundation S. Dana Wolfe, Executive Producer 2006John Donvan, Moderator 2009Lia Macko, Producer 2007Kris Kamikawa, Director of Research 2006Clea Conner Chang, Director of Marketing and Production 2011Laura Meyer, Event Production Coordinator 2010-

the rosenkranz foundation --

Directors: Robert Rosenkranz, Stephanie Rosenkranz Hessler, Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz Emily Doskow Beth Green

Vern Calhoun, Production Manager 2006-2007 Heather Grossmann, Production Manager 2007-2008 Lindsay Nelson, Director of Production, Strategy & Development 2008-2011 Juliet Dickey, Production Coordinator 2009-2010

Š 2011 I ntelligenc e Squared U.S. Foundation

65


50

“POINTED POLITICAL DEBATE MINUS ALL THE SHOUTING: A series of ten provocative and informative live debates, five in the fall, five in the spring, on the hot-button concerns of the day. The debates are broadcast on NPR

D E B AT E S

stations across the country and on the Bloomberg Television network. The programs reach a wide audience and

CELEBRATING 50 DEBATES &

attract as speakers the top experts, specialists and passionate advocates for both sides of each issue.” —

THE EVOLUTION OF

E L I Z A B E T H J E N S EN , THE NEW YORK TIMES , SEPTEMBER 21 , 2009

“From wherever you stood, the opposing side offered respectable, credible views. In today’s fractured culture the evening struck a blow for civility.” –

T H E H U F F I N G TO N P O S T

“A great event. Fun!” –

B O B B Y S H R I V E R , PA N E L I S T

“It’s a real public service to have debates that bring top-tier participants together and add the sizzle of prize fight competition to a discussion of issues of first-order importance.” –

T H E AT L A N T I C

“The high level of interest and thoughtprovoking participation in this forum for public discourse gives me hope, and I applaud your visionary insight and commitment to public service.” –RICHARD

123456789647484950 6474849 50

D E B AT E S

C . L E V I N , P R E S I D E N T O F YA L E

UNIVERSITY

“A throwback to the days of traveling orators, to a time of greater civility, when people actually bothered to listen to the other side, to consider the validity of its position.” –

50 DEBATES: CELEBRATING 50 DEBATES & THE EVOLUTION OF INTELLIGENCE SQUARED DEBATES

Edited and produced by Clea Conner Chang Designed by Diana Simakhov Written by Kris , Dana Wolfe and John Donvan

T H E WA L L S T R E E T J O U R N A L

“Intelligence Squared has done something rare in New York – create an event that people feel they must go to.” —

FA R E E D Z A K A R I A

“A salon for movers and shakers, writers and thinkers” —

T H E N E W YO R K T I M E S

“Everything about the Intelligence Squared debate was first rate—the organization of the event itself, the eloquence of the participants, the moderator’s skill, the thoughtful participation of the audience, and the subsequent presentation of the debate on NPR and the internet. There’s nothing remotely like it in American politics.” —MICHAEL

T H E G LO B E A N D M A I L

© 2011 INTELLIGENCE SQUARED U.S. FOUNDATION

“Always intelligent and provocative, as well as disciplined and civil. A stimulating way to spend an evening.”

CELEBRATING 50 DEBATES & THE EVOLUTION OF

C R I C H TO N , PA N E L I S T


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