Month: May 2013

Can Japan Remain Committed to Nonproliferation by The Washington Quarterly
This academic article, from the Spring 2013 edition of the Washington Quarterly, provides an interesting overview of whether Japan can afford to not have a nuclear weapons program. However, the authors conclude that Japan could provide a model for other nation-states that merely use nuclear power for domestic energy and avoid militarizing it.

U.S. Support for Euthanasia Hinges on How It’s Described from Gallup
This month Vermont became the fourth state in the nation to legalize physician-assisted suicide. This poll provides evidence that if the word “suicide” is used in asking a question about the practice then support plummets from 70% to 51%.

Unprotected: How Legalizing Prostitution Has Failed from Der Spiegel
This enlightening article from the German magazine Der Spiegel describes how attempts at legalizing prostitution within Germany have not succeeded in reducing exploitation and human trafficking. It provides an indictment of libertarian policies towards prostitution.

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Confidential report lists U.S. weapons system designs compromised by Chinese cyberspies from The Washington Post
In an alarming confident report, the Pentagon revealed that Chinese hackers acquired designs for over twenty major weapons systems, which could harm America’s chances in a future war with China.

Preventing Pharmageddon: Treatment Access for Noncommunicable Diseases from The Council on Foreign Relations
This policy memorandum from the Council on Foreign Relations discusses battles over access to patented medicines by developing nations.  It is a helpful article for extempers looking to increase evidence in their files about global medical issues.

Winning the jobs war from Politico
This op-ed piece, written by Delaware Governor Jack Markell discusses strategies that the country needs to take to make sure current students are ready for jobs of the future.  The op-ed heavily promotes the STEM education program.

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A Republican Senate Majority in 2014: So Close, But Yet so Far by Shrinking the Margin of Error
Although this source is a blog, it provides an excellent resource for extempers looking for a quick overview of the 2014 Senate races. Since an easy, generic domestic politics question is to ask about these campaigns, this blog post can help guide extempers in the right direction and prepare them for those topics.

Nuclear Iran: A Glossary of Terms from The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Are you confused by some of the terminology surrounding Iran’s nuclear program? This excellent policy brief (make sure to download the .pdf) provides a dictionary for terms about Iran’s nuclear program and provides an updated overview of the topic. A fantastic resource for rookie and veteran extempers that have likely had to speak about this topic several times in their careers.

Obama reaches for moral high ground on drones, Gitmo from The Christian Science Monitor
Yesterday, President Obama gave an important foreign policy speech where he explained that the war on terrorism could not last forever, that American drone policy would be severely restricted to those who posed an imminent danger to the United States, and that Guantanamo Bay should be closed. This article explains the big ideas of Obama’s speech, centering mostly on drones and Gitmo.

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Drones: Myths And Reality In Pakistan from The International Crisis Group
President Obama’s drone policy has been one of the most controversial parts of his foreign policy. This executive summary, and full report, discusses America’s drone policy in the 21st century and discusses ways to make the American drone policy more transparent.