1. Should international sanctions be levied against governments to restrict Internet access to their citizens?
2. Would a peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan damage NATO’s credibility?
3. Will the Spanish elections produce a definitive result?
4. Should British Eurosceptics welcome a second referendum on Brexit?
5. Can Felix Tshisekedi curb corruption in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
6. Will Sudanese protesters receive sizable international assistance in their efforts to topple Omar al-Bashir?
7. Is Nicaragua becoming the next Venezuela?
8. Should China loosen monetary policy to stop its economic slowdown?
9. Is Cyril Ramaphosa taking the appropriate steps to bolster the South African economy?
10. Can Saudi Arabia effectively diversify its economy beyond the energy sector?
Month: February 2019
1. What should be done about immigration in the Age of Trump?
2. If Democrats win the presidency in 2020, should they declare a national emergency over gun violence?
3. Should there be more significant criminal penalties for faking a hate crime?
4. Has John Roberts become the new swing vote on the U.S. Supreme Court?
5. Should more localities refuse to give Amazon tax incentives?
6. Will William Barr prove to be a more effective attorney general than Jeff Sessions?
7. Have U.S. police forces improved their relationships with marginalized communities?
8. Does Mike Pence warrant a place on President Trump’s re-election ticket in 2020?
9. What steps can the Republican Party take to best protect its Senate majority for 2020?
10. Is President Trump vulnerable to a primary challenge?
1. Should more U.S. states pass laws that ban cashless businesses?
2. Is the U.S. involved in too many foreign conflicts?
3. Should the U.S. re-embrace the “melting pot” philosophy?
4. Is there a national emergency on the U.S.-Mexican border?
5. Should Democrats focus their energy on capturing the U.S. Senate rather than the presidency in 2020?
6. Who should be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations?
7. Can market based solutions effectively combat climate change?
8. Should more American localities pursue high speed rail?
9. Will the rejection of Amazon do lasting damage to New York’s economy?
10. Has social media been a positive or negative force in U.S. politics?
1. Will there be a significant international conflict over Taiwan this year?
2. Would a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan empower Pakistani interests in the region?
3. Who will win the 2019 Canadian federal elections?
4. Can the world achieve zero carbon emissions without nuclear power?
5. How can left-wing political forces in Poland capture political power?
6. Is Imran Khan’s revolution failing?
7. Will far-right populists gain ground in the upcoming Spanish elections?
8. Has the Syrian Civil War weakened global anti-chemical weapons agreements?
9. Should Europe put former ISIS fighters on trial?
10. If Theresa May cannot achieve a Brexit deal, should she resign?
1. Should central banks retreat from plans to tighten monetary policy?
2. How can a diplomatic solution best be brokered for the Yemeni conflict?
3. Is the EU too soft on Iran?
4. How can Aleksandar Vucic quell growing dissatisfaction with his rule?
5. Why have diplomatic relations become strained between France and Italy?
6. Was Finland’s basic income trial a success?
7. Is Pope Francis mishandling recent sex abuse scandals in the Catholic Church?
8. Could a French referendum quell the anger of the yellow vests?
9. Should David Malpass become the next head of the World Bank?
10. Is Israel’s friendliness with illiberal leaders an unwise foreign policy play?
1. Is Joe Biden his time?
2. If Ralph Northam does not resign, will that hurt Democrats chances to capture the Virginia state legislature?
3. Can the U.S. wean itself off of fossil fuels within the next decade?
4. Does New York’s abortion bill go too far?
5. How should Elizabeth Warren respond to continued questions about her past claims of Native American ancestry?
6. If Donald Trump gets any funding for a border wall, is that a major political victory for his administration?
7. Do U.S. prisons make appropriate accomodations for Muslim inmates?
8. How should Republicans counter the Democrats Green New Deal proposal?
9. Have America’s foreign conflicts created more income inequality at home?
10. Has President Trump blundered when it comes to arms control accords with Russia?
1. Is the indictment of Roger Stone a sign that President Trump’s days are numbered?
2. Can President Trump politically afford to have another government shutdown?
3. Would “Medicare for All” fix many of the problems that ail U.S. healthcare?
4. Could an independent presidential bid gain traction in 2020?
5. Can greater investment in pre-K education reduce achievement gaps among students?
6. Of all of the Democratic presidential candidates, who had the best introductory rollout so far?
7. Should U.S. states allow abortion through the full length of pregnancy?
8. How can General Motors improve its market position?
9. What is the best way to improve Social Security’s solvency?
10. Is an “American first” mindset in foreign policy a danger to U.S. national security?
1. Is the Catholic Church facing a global crisis of credibility?
2. Will the Treaty of Aachen create further divisions within the EU?
3. Has the international community successfully contained North Korea’s aggressive tendencies?
4. Will the controversies surrounding Flavio Bolsonaro derail his father’s presidency?
5. Should NATO cease adding new members from Eastern Europe?
6. Will greater self-rule on Mindanao solve sectarian tensions in the Philippines?
7. If Justin Trudeau loses his showdown with China, will it severely damage his standing with Canadian voters?
8. Has Europe lost Turkey?
9. What conditions are needed to create a lasting peace in Afghanistan?
10. Have Latin American countries been too hands off regarding Venezuela’s political situation?
The 2018-2019 National Points Race standings have been updated to reflect the results of the James Logan MLK Invitational, the Barkley Forum, and the Marshall Speech Spectacular. To access the standings, you can click on the National Points Race tab on the right of the main page or click here.
This week’s Stanford National Invitational will be the next National Points Race tournament. Stanford is a fifth tier event and provides another opportunity for West Coast extempers to build points in this year’s competition. Bigger events loom on the horizon, though, with Harvard and the California Invitational, second and third tier events, taking place in two weeks.