Month: October 2012

Here are your extemp questions for the week of October 22, 2012.

United States

Would a popular vote/electoral college split in the 2012 presidential election be enough to bring about a change to the US electoral system?

Is Obama’s popularity worldwide an asset or a hindrance to his re-election chances?

Which third-party candidate has the best chance to act as a spoiler in the 2012 presidential election?

Will the threat of a Black Friday strike lead to a victory for Wal-Mart workers?

With Pandit gone, can Corbat lead Citigroup back to prosperity?

Would a Supreme Court ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act settle the national debate over gay marriage?

Is a state-by-state approach a viable alternative to the Affordable Care Act?

Is the CDC doing enough to combat the efforts of the anti-vaccination movement?

Should the United States consider Russia its number one geopolitical foe?

Is the US doing enough to attract aspiring entrepreneurs from other countries?

International

What can the Democratic Alliance do to become a credible challenge to the African National Congress in South Africa?

Should the international community take concrete steps to condemn Turkey’s imprisonments of journalists?

Will the suspension of a strike by Peruvian doctors undermine their demands for a pay raise?

Can a European banking union make a substantial contribution to the battle against Europe’s economic woes?

Will BP’s deal with Rosfneft be a boon to UK-Russian relations, or a liability?

Would a decline in German economic growth provide sufficient impetus for political calls for EU dissolution to succeed?

What reforms would best restore the Italian legal system’s credibility in the wake of the L’Aquila earthquake trial?

Will Yanukovych’s attempts to bolster ties with Russia pay off for Ukraine in the long term?

Should the South Korean government do more to restrict popular demonstrations directed at North Korea?

Can Fatah recover from its dismal performance in Palestine’s recent local elections?

Here are your extemp questions for the week of October 15, 2012

United States

Is Gawker’s outing of Michael Brutsch as skeezy social-media-ite Violentacrez a cause for concern?

Does Hillary Clinton’s admission of accountability for the embassy violence in Benghazi present an insurmountable difficulty in the likelihood of a 2016 presidential bid?

Should conservatives seize on the reversal of Salim Hamdan’s conviction as a talking point against the Obama administration?

Which strategy represents a better plan for Romney: a focused win in Ohio, or a Wisconsin-Iowa victory?

Should Barack Obama prioritize regaining support among women voters?

Which viral criticism of Romney will have more sticking power among his critics: Sesame Street, or Binders Full of Women?

Real-estate: buy, sell, or hold?

How can Romney make Obama’s management of Libya a favorable position for him among undecided voters?

Should the Federal Government be more active in addressing the male/female wage gap?

With George Zimmerman’s trial date set, will his case return to the forefront of American dialogue, or remain in relative obscurity?

International

Will new-found unity between Syrian rebels aid them in the quest for international legitimacy?

What is the worst-case scenario for State Department negotiations with Afghanistan regarding withdrawal amounts and dates?

Is Pakistan’s ruling coalition in a position to engage in educational reform?

Will UN reports of Rwandan and Ugandan support for M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo result in sufficient pressure for international action?

What should Honduras’s government prioritize in its plan to reduce regional violence?

Does Pauline Marois’ attack on Francois Hollande’s foreign policy present a new-found challenge in Canadian-French relations?

Should Chinese citizens be excited, or fearful, about the 2012 Communist Party Congress?

Should Ukraine cave to international pressure about its tariff plans?

Does Australia’s newly-established nuclear deal with India present a threat or an opportunity for US interests in the region?

Is newly-released economic data indicating Chinese growth acceleration a sign of change, or an outlier in an ongoing slump?

Here are your extemp questions for the week of Oct. 8, 2012

United States

Will the Obama administration come to regret its decision to block the purchase of US wind farms by a Chinese company?

Will Romney be able to repeat his 1st debate performance in the upcoming debates?

Will Republican accusations that employment statistics are being manipulated erode Obama’s boost from a lower unemployment rate?

What more can the US do to prepare for the economic burden of retiring Baby Boomers?

Can Romney be trusted to maintain his new “centrist” position?

What can the Federal Government do to ensure that increasing Wall Street profits bring their boon to Main Street?

Will the trial of Abu Hamza have a meaningful impact on the November elections?

Meningitis outbreak: uncontrollable fluke, or symptom of a regulatory oversight?

Would the Obama administration benefit from bringing social issues to the front of the national stage?

What can Romney do to help assure an Ohio victory?

International

Will Chavez’s victory bring further entrenchment of the “Bolivarian Revolution’s” socialist principles in Venezuela?

Will popular protests disrupt European leaders’ plans to hold the Eurozone together?

Will rising oil revenues in Iraq bring stability, or renewed conflict?

Will Latin American drug decriminalization turn the tide in the fight against drug gangs?

Does Shinzo Abe have a shot at becoming Prime Minister of Japan again?

Would Paraguay’s early re-admittance to Mercosur undermine South cement Franco’s 2013 re-election ambitions?

Can the Rajapaksa administration continue to withstand scrutiny from the UN Human Rights Council?

What can Asia’s economies do to smooth their economic transition from manufacturing to services?

Is Syrian violence in danger of spilling over into Turkey?

Should Iran press forward with its nuclear ambitions?

Here are your extemp questions for the week of Oct. 1, 2012.

United States

Who will benefit the most from the Apple-Samsung patent war?

Will the 2012 presidential debates change the outcome of the race?

How should the US respond to Russia’s ouster of USAID from the country?

Will the 113th Congress be able to achieve more bipartisan policies than the 112th?

Has the US done enough to prepare Afghanistan for the 2014 withdrawal date?

What lessons does the Chicago Teachers’ Union strike hold for national education policy?

Is California’s ban on “gay conversion therapy” for minors likely to spread nationally?

Is Arizona’s hardline approach to illegal immigration yielding any results?

Do the Republicans have a shot at retaking the Senate majority in 2012?

Will Obama and Romney’s record fundraising spur a fresh look at campaign finance reform?

International

What should Turkey do to bring about international action to quell the violence in Syria?

Does Russia’s pro-democracy movement have any hope of ousting Putin?

Do Georgia’s recent elections signal the beginning of the end for Saakashvili?

Are the days of cheap East Asian labor coming to an end?

Has Italy seen the last of Berlusconi in office?

Is Angela Merkel a shoo-in for re-election in 2013?

Does Capriles have what it takes to govern a post-Chavez Venezuela?

Does the threat of Boko Haram warrant AU assistance to Nigeria?

What should Cristina Fernandez do to bring Argentina’s inflation under control?

How should Russia respond to the brewing tensions between Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan?