Many works of literature have been published after their author's death, despite the author asking that they not be published. This includes almost all of Emily Dickinson's poetry, Roland Barthes's personal diary, Sylvia Plath's Ariel, and works by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mark Twain and Vladimir Nabokov.

For the purposes of this debate, when there is a dispute over the leadership of a state, there are two approaches that other states can take to decide who they may militarily intervene at the request and in favour of.

(1) Under the doctrine of effective control, the relevant leadership of a state (who other states may militarily intervene at the request and in favour of) is who de facto controls the territory of the state, even if they were not democratically elected (e.g. a military coup). Most countries and international organisations follow the doctrine of effective control.

(2) In contrast, under the doctrine of democratic legitimacy, the relevant leadership of a state is who was democratically elected by the people of that state, even if they are in exile and/or control no territory. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) follows the doctrine of democratic legitimacy. Accordingly, ECOWAS has militarily intervened against military coups in favour of democratically elected governments in member states on many occasions (e.g. Liberia in 1990, Sierra Leone in 1997, and The Gambia in 2016).

For the purposes of this debate, there are two main factions within the upper ranks of the Catholic Church, each with a frontrunner for the next Pope.

The liberals advocate for a more progressive approach to LGBTQ+ inclusion, divorce, abortion, interfaith relations, climate action, and expanding the role of women within the Church. The liberal frontrunner for the next Pope is Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle from the Philippines. Tagle shares similar views to Pope Francis and, if elected, would become the first Asian Pope.

The conservatives emphasise tradition, doctrinal continuity, and strict biblical interpretations. They seek to uphold established teachings on abortion, contraception, and marriage, and oppose radical departures from scripture. The conservative frontrunner for the next Pope is Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ambongo has been critical of many of Pope Francis's policies, including the doctrine of fiducia supplicans which allows priests to bless unmarried and same-sex couples. If elected, he would be the first African Pope.

‘Right to privacy’ arguments assert that the state should not interfere in the private lives of individuals.

In the near future, humankind has developed a super-intelligent Artificial Intelligence (AI) system in order to rule over humanity. The AI has undergone rigorous alignment training to ensure that its incentives are aligned with the values and interests of the human race as a whole. The AI possesses the capability to solve many coordination problems and other issues that currently trouble human governments.

The AI will be programmed such that it is at the top of most chains of command in the world. However, there will be one entity to which the AI is ultimately answerable. This entity has the power to decide on what to do in lieu of the AI in the event that there exists a profound moral quandary that the entity determines the AI is unable to properly address. It also has the ability to shut down the AI system.

For the purposes of this debate, assume that all governments have consented to be subordinate to the AI and that it can effectively govern the human race.