For the purposes of this debate, the ‘new defining decade norm’ refers to the increasingly popular belief that what one does between the ages of 10 and 19 has a disproportionately large impact on the rest of one’s life. Among other things, this belief encourages spending time on ‘productive’ activities (e.g. preparing for university admissions, participating and seeking competitive success in extracurricular activities such as WSDC) and discourages unstructured and idle time.

La Mano Dura refers to tough-on-crime policies aimed at combating gang violence and organised crime. This approach is characterised by increased police operations and military involvement, harsher penalties for gang-related activities, and lowering the barriers for arrests.

For the purposes of this debate, Green parties can take one of two approaches: green centrism or green progressivism.

Green centrism involves focusing on environmental issues and being willing to work with right-wing parties.

Green progressivism, in contrast, involves also focusing on social justice issues and refusing to work with right-wing parties.

Cruise-owned private islands are islands (or parts of islands) that are owned (or leased long-term) by cruise lines and developed into resort-style destinations for their passengers. There are at least 10 cruise-owned private islands in the Caribbean, developed over the last few decades. Cruise-owned private islands are rare outside of the Caribbean.

The Cook Islands (pop. 15 000) is a self-governing Pacific island nation in free association with New Zealand. New Zealand is responsible for defence, and argues that it must be consulted on security issues. Cook Islanders hold New Zealand citizenship, and 80 000 Cook Islanders live in New Zealand. The last Cook Islands (annual) budget was £140 000 000, including £23 000 000 in foreign aid from New Zealand (£1 = 1.4 USD = 2.3 NZD). Niue, another Pacific island nation, is also in free association with New Zealand.

Recently, the Cook Islands signed a comprehensive strategic partnership with China. This prompted disapproval from New Zealand, particularly regarding a lack of consultation. The text of the agreement has not been released, but it is believed to include cooperation and investment in infrastructure, trade, tourism, and seabed mining. The Cook Islands have said that the agreement does not include debt, and assert that there are no security implications.

Liberation theology is a Christian movement that interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ through the lens of the poor and oppressed, emphasising social justice as central to faith. It calls for active resistance to economic, political, and social systems that perpetuate inequality, often drawing on Marxist analysis, and argues that true salvation involves both spiritual and material liberation. Liberation theology originated from and is especially popular in Latin America.

Liberation theology is a Christian movement that interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ through the lens of the poor and oppressed, emphasising social justice as central to faith. It calls for active resistance to economic, political, and social systems that perpetuate inequality, often drawing on Marxist analysis, and argues that true salvation involves both spiritual and material liberation. Liberation theology originated from and is especially popular in Latin America.

In the context of media and popular culture, 'monoculture' refers to the phenomenon in which large segments of society share common media consumption and associated cultural references. This phenomenon peaked in the mid-20th century to the early 2000s--examples include artists like The Beatles dominating music, TV shows such as Friends commanding over 50 million live viewers in the US alone, Bollywood films like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge uniting audiences across India and its diaspora, and telenovelas like Yo soy Betty, la fea captivating viewers from Mexico to Argentina.

In contrast, today's media landscape is much more fractured, and strangers typically share little media consumption in common.