In Policy Debate, a kritik (pronounced critique) is an argument that is based on the assumptions that a policy action is enacted with. Kritiks are more commonly used by the negative to attack the assumptions the affirmative makes, but can be used by the affirmative to show a change in assumptions from the status quo.

If a policy action was for the United States to send humanitarian assistance to Africa, a possible kritikal argument would be a kritik of Statism; that is, the affirmative uses the centralized state in their plan, and the centralized state should be rejected. Thus, the negative would argue for the judge to reject the affirmative plan.