1. Is a strong U.S.-China relationship necessary for tackling global climate change?
2. Would partition fix what ails Lebanon?
3. Should Palestinian leaders launch a third intifada?
4. Is it in Japan’s national interest to be closer to China or the United States?
5. What impact will Israel’s recent normalization agreements have on Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future?
6. Has Abiy Ahmed been a disappointment?
7. Is it only a matter of time before Evo Morales returns to power?
8. Why is Europe seeing significant growth in COVID-19 cases?
9. Does Colombia need to reform its police forces?
10. Is Germany’s COVID-19 bailout package too generous?
Category: International Extemp Page 14 of 57
1. Why have high numbers of COVID-19 cases failed to dent Bolsonaro’s popularity?
2. If more Arab states recognize Israel after the UAE and Bahrain, how does that affect the Israeli-Palestinian peace process?
3. Why has Venezuela’s oil industry collapsed?
4. Is Saudi Arabia starting to prioritize India at the expense of its relationship with Pakistan?
5. Will China’s behavior in the Xinjiang region hurt its ability to forge stronger ties with Muslim nations?
6. Does al-Qaeda still pose a major threat to global security?
7. How can Vladimir Putin prevent Belarus from slipping out of Russia’s orbit?
8. Can the ICC help end ethnic violence in Myanmar?
9. Should the Democratic Republic of Congo improve its mine safety standards?
10. Is Africa suffering from a “silent epidemic” of COVID-19?
1. Should the EU impose sanctions on Turkey over its Mediterranean dispute with Greece?
2. If Iran acquires a nuclear bomb, will that do irreparable damage to global anti-proliferation efforts?
3. Is it only a matter of time before China becomes the financial superpower of the world?
4. Will Bashar al-Assad ever be held to account for the war crimes committed during the Syrian Civil War?
5. Why has Latin America been hit so hard by COVID-19?
6. What does the recent withdrawal of large numbers of American troops from Germany mean for that nation’s defense policy in the years ahead?
7. Why has China been attacking the rights of ethnic minorities in recent years?
8. Should Thailand’s monarch be brought under the constitution?
9. Is the arrest of Paul Rusebabagina politically motivated?
10. What should the West do in response to Vladimir Putin’s poisoning of Alexei Navalny?
1. What are the implications of a Revolutionary Guard takeover of the Iranian government?
2. Is it in Turkey’s national interest to remain part of NATO or join a Russia-China axis?
3. What will be Shinzo Abe’s historical legacy?
4. Does Thailand need to reform its monarchy?
5. Should India develop stronger ties with Middle Eastern nations?
6. Who is most to blame for the misery in the Gaza Strip?
7. Is the liberal international order worth saving?
8. Has Europe failed in the Sahel?
9. What long-term impacts will COVID-19 have on the global economy?
10. Has the West won the war on terrorism?
1. Could the ongoing protests in Belarus create political change?
2. Can the EU be an effective mediator of Turkish and Greece claims in the Eastern Mediterranean?
3. Are governments becoming too reliant on scientific management?
4. How will the resignation of Bill Morneau hurt the Trudeau administration in the long run?
5. Are China’s actions in Hong Kong a trial run for Taiwan?
6. Will Oman’s ambitious reforms succeed?
7. How will Brunei’s upcoming chairmanship of ASEAN affect the organization’s relationship with China?
8. Are predictions of Bolsonaro’s demise exaggerated?
9. Should the EU do more to clean up Bulgaria’s corruption?
10. Which Arab nation will be the next to recognize Israel?
1. Does the Israel-UAE accord lay the foundation for a broader Middle East peace agreement?
2. What steps can Boris Johnson take to boost Britain’s economy?
3. Is Evo Morales resposible for Bolivia’s poor COVID response?
4. Will the Beirut port explosion do significant damage to Hezbollah’s power?
5. Are Australia’s internal travel restrictions too severe?
6. Should the world impose significant sanctions on Belarus after its recent presidential election?
7. If Fethullah Gulen was extradited, would it undermine Erdogan’s power?
8. Has the Internet been a boon for the global human rights struggle?
9. Are more international conventions needed with regards to satellite warfare?
10. What reforms does South Africa need to make to its police forces?
1. How would a political revolution in Lebanon affect Israeli-Syrian relations?
2. What steps can Saudi Arabia take to increase its control of global oil markets?
3. Has the COVID-19 pandemic hurt global populist movements?
4. Are global arms control agreements collapsing?
5. Is it in Russia’s best interests to have close ties with Iran?
6. Will Duterte get to change the Filipino constitution?
7. Is Israel emerging as a peacemaker in the Middle East?
8. How should global investors view Zimbabwe’s recent agreement to compensate evicted white farmers?
9. Is the democratic status of various Latin American states on the decline?
10. What values should be at the core of the EU’s foreign policy?
Welcome back for the 2020-2021 season (in whatever form it takes). Check back here every Monday for free IX and USX questions and feel free to make a donation if you find them helpful. We will also be doing some adjustments to our state champions and past champions pages, so if you have results that are not listed, feel free to send them our way.
1. Will “vaccine nationalism” make it harder to combat COVID nationally?
2. Does Brazil have fires in the Amazon under control?
3. Is Tanzania’s economy growing as fast as its government claims?
4. How can Italy make itself more business friendly?
5. Is the UAE’s nuclear power plant a threat to peace in the Middle East?
6. How quickly might the global economy recover post-COVID?
7. Is India becoming the next global coronavirus hotspot?
8. Will Alexander Lukashenko lose Belarus’ presidential election?
9. Is Russia fast-tracking a COVID vaccine too quickly?
10. Has Buhari’s war against Boko Haram failed?
Note: These will be the last questions of the 2020-2021 competitive year.
1. Is Libya’s civil war drawing to a close?
2. Can “land for peace” still work to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
3. Is herd immunity the only way for the world to handle COVID-19?
4. Who will be the next leader of the Canadian Conservative Party?
5. Is the IMF poorly positioned to help emerging markets handle the effects of the coronavirus?
6. Will COVID-19 wreck the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative?
7. Is Brazil losing its battle against COVID-19?
8. How can Nigeria wipe out Boko Haram?
9. Is China winning its propaganda battle over the coronavirus?
10. Would a withdrawal of the U.S. from the WHO be a major blow to the organization?
1. Has Europe mishandled its coronavirus bailouts?
2. Should AMLO embrace renewable energy?
3. Will Argentina’s recent debt default trigger another economic collapse?
4. Could border tensions between India and China grow into something much bigger?
5. Have Western universities become too reliant on attracting foreign students?
6. Who has the majority in Malaysia’s government?
7. Has Libya become the new Syria?
8. Looking back, was it wise of Great Britain to let go of Hong Kong?
9. Should African governments continue hiring mercenaries?
10. Have economic problems in Brazil darkened Latin America’s economic outlook on the whole?
This week’s questions come from my former coach Steve Meadows, who is now the executive director of the Kentucky High School Speech League (KHSSL).
1. How has New Zealand changed a year after the Christchurch attacks?
2. Hong Kong’s protests seem forgotten by the world. Problem solved?
3. Australian bushfires: the exception or the rule for a world undergoing climate change?
4. What’s the solution to prevent violence in Mexican cities?
5. How should Lebanon handle its financial woes?
6. Will the Saudi royal family retain power or fall to its own corruption?
7. Should Scottish independence seekers try again or will their dreams be kilt?
8. Will Germany thrive or dive post-Merkel?
9. Is Hungary hungry for a real democracy?
10. Irish reunification – a dream, a nightmare, or a woke response to 21st century realities?
1. Will India’s treatment of its Muslim population leave the nation stranded in the second world?
2. Why has South Korea been praised for its coronavirus response when other nations have not?
3. Are African countries embracing China at their own peril?
4. How can the Ivory Coast ensure a peaceful transition of power in October?
5. Is the peace agreement in Afghanitan good for the people of Afghanistan?
6. In hindsight, did Australia manage its fires well?
7. How can North Korea realistically enter the world around it?
8. Is Pakistan next in line for an “Arab Spring”-type of social protest?
9. Will the coronavirus kill Thailand’s struggling economy?
10. Are Japanese gender norms holding back its economic growth?
1. Will a recent failed invasion against Nicolas Maduro further strengthen his hold over Venezuela?
2. Is Argentina headed for another debt default?
3. Will border disputes between India and China grow in the near future?
4. Can Benjamin Netanyahu form a unity government?
5. Is the sharp decline in global oil prices doing major damage to Nigeria’s economy?
6. Should Taiwan be able to attend the recent WHO summit on the coronavirus?
7. Is China waiting too long to create an economic stimulus?
8. How can the European Central Bank keep credit flowing within the common market?
9. Should Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro be given control of the Rio police?
10. Is ISIS once again becoming a threat to Iraq?
1. Will protectionism rise as the coronavirus subsides?
2. Is the risk of an escalation of the war in Afghanistan growing?
3. Are Europe’s short-work programs keeping unemployment down during the coronavirus pandemic?
4. Is it in Russia’s best interest to extend the START treaty?
5. What is wrong with Zambia’s economy?
6. Are Khalifa Haftar’s fortunes on the decline in Libya?
7. Is Saudi Arabia’s human rights record improving?
8. How generous should EU aid packages be to fight the coronavirus pandemic?
9. Should Colombia repatriate Venezuelan refugees?
10. Will the coronavirus pandemic help governments fight terrorism?
1. Has the worst of the global coronavirus outbreak come to pass?
2. Should Malaysia continue to turn away Rohingya refugees?
3. Will the declaration of self-rule by Yemeni separtists destroy the chances of ending Yemen’s civil war?
4. Has Boris Johnson’s government mismanaged Britain’s coronavirus response?
5. Is Jack Ma becoming a threat to China’s communist leadership?
6. Should there be an independent review of the WHO’s response to the coronavirus pandemic?
7. Will governments have to introduce austerity measures once the coronavirus passes?
8. If Kim Jong Un were to die, who would take over North Korea?
9. Can working relationships with Gulf countries bolster India’s power in South Asia?
10. Does Germany need to take a more direct role in leading the European Union?