Category: International Extemp Page 26 of 58

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of January 25-31, 2016

[fblike]

HOTtopics1. Are fiscal or monetary problems a bigger threat to the Brazilian economy?
2. Is the ECB hampering Italy’s plans for economic reform?
3. Are economic problems aggravating racial tensions in South Africa?
4. Have Western sanctions against Russia failed?
5. Should Google allow authoritarian government to request the blocking of offending material?
6. Will Francois Hollande’s jobs plan successfully reduce France’s unemployment rate?
7. Should the World Bank feel threatened by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank?
8. Will the ICC’s prosecution of William Ruto disrupt Western-Kenyan cooperation against al-Shabab?
9. How should Xi Jinping react to the DPP’s landslide victory in Taiwan’s presidential election?
10. Will Iranian conservatives triumph in February’s parliamentary elections?

The Jakarta Terrorist Attack

[fblike]

Although terrorism is not unknown in Indonesia, it had been seven years since the world’s largest Muslim nation was victimized by a large-scale terrorist attack.  On Thursday, terrorists reportedly aligned with the Islamic State fired upon a busy shopping district in the capital of Jakarta, killing two people and wounding more than twenty others.  Indonesian President Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi, was quick to condemn the attacks and stated his nation’s resolve not to succumb to the extremist message that the Islamic State propagates.  However, there are fears that the attack may be a sign of bigger aims by the Islamic State in Southeast Asia as the group is reportedly looking into ways to extend its reach to weaken international efforts against it in Iraq and Syria.  The attacks have also called into question whether Indonesian authorities are doing enough to fight extremism and the radicalization of young Muslim men.

This topic brief will provide a brief overview of Indonesia’s battles against Islamic extremists, discuss why the Jakarta attacks could be a sign of growing instability in Southeast Asia, and analyze how Indonesian authorities may react to the attacks.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of January 18-24, 2016

[fblike]

HOTtopics1. Can Mexico win its drug war if it cooperates more closely with the United States?
2. What does Israel’s clampdown on Jewish terrorism mean for Israel-Arab relations?
3. Should Great Britain renew the Tirdent submarine program?
4. How can the German government sustain existing levels of economic growth?
5. Is the Islamic State a significant threat to Indonesian security?
6. Should Russia offer asylum to Bashar al-Assad?
7. How will economic problems in China affect the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong?
8. Is Turkey’s focus on the PKK distracting it from a much needed fight against the Islamic State?
9. Will Greece convince other European nations to reduce its debt burden?
10. How can India improve air quality in major cities?

The Possible “Brexit”

[fblike]

Since 2013, the European Union (EU) has been worried about the outcome of a referendum on Great Britain’s EU membership.  A member of the EU since 1973, Great Britain has often stood for a different set of ideas than its EU counterparts, preferring economic liberalism and less financial regulation than EU bureaucrats in Brussels and rival heads of state in Paris and Berlin.  One of Prime Minister David Cameron’s promises upon winning the British parliamentary elections last year was to hold a referendum on Britain’s EU membership.  This was interpreted as a sop to Conservative voters that bolted the party for the far-right United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), which is fiercely anti-EU.  Although a date for the referendum has not been set, Cameron is hoping that he can secure concessions from the EU on immigrant welfare benefits and economic regulations that he can in turn sell to British voters to make an exit from the EU – termed a “Brexit” – unthinkable.  Considering the fact that Britain’s exit from the EU would rob the organization of more than 10% of its population and more than 15% of its economic power and the fact that recent polls show support for a “Brexit” rising, extempers need to consider how they should approach “Brexit”-style questions in the coming months as their likelihood of being asked at tournaments should increase.

This topic brief will breakdown the reasons that anti-EU forces in Great Britain favor an exit from the European Union (EU), discuss the arguments made by pro-EU forces for why Great Britain should remain in the body, and then analyze the chances that British voters will choose to depart from the EU by the end of this year (if not next year).

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of January 11-17, 2016

[fblike]

HOTtopics1. What would be the biggest global consequence of a Brexit?
2. How will the Cologne attacks affect Angela Merkel’s position on migrants?
3. Should Saudi Arabia list part of Saudi Aramco?
4. Will Spain end up holding new elections in May?
5. Should the EU impose sanctions on Poland?
6. Will Chinese economic difficulties produce a global currency war?
7. What steps should the international community take against North Korea for conducting its fourth nuclear test?
8. How can the EU prevent the collapse of the Schengen travel zone?
9. Is Nicolas Maduro driving Venezuela toward civil war?
10. How will growing tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia affect the Syrian peace process?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of January 4-10, 2016

[fblike]

HOTtopics1. Will Italian voters approve Matteo Renzi’s constitutional reforms in October?
2. Has Pope Francis responded poorly to the Vatileaks scandal?
3. Will low oil prices produce significant social discontent in Saudi Arabia?
4. Has Nigeria “technically won” its war against Boko Haram?
5. Will there be a transatlantic free trade deal in 2016?
6. What lessons should the international community learn from the West African Ebola outbreak?
7. Can the Japanese-South Korean agreement over “comfort women” produce greater cooperation on future issues of mutual interest in East Asia?
8. Will 2016 bring more economic pain to China?
9. What grade does Narendra Modi deserve for his first year in office?
10. Was 2015 the year of the terrorist?

Burundi’s Unrest

[fblike]

When it comes to the African continent extempers are used to talking about topics such as South Africa’s economy, the continent’s amazing economic potential in the twenty-first century, Chinese interests in the region, Robert Mugabe’s continued misrule of Zimbabwe, and conflict zones such as the Democratic Republic of Congo.  What they have been less used to is talking about smaller African nations such as Burundi, but in light of significant political unrest extempers will probably be talking more about this country in the weeks and months ahead.  Last April, President Pierre Nkurunziza announced that he would seek a third term.  This would be normal under some democratic systems, but Burundi’s constitution, agreed to in 2006 after the end of a thirteen-year civil war, prohibits a president being elected to more than two terms.  In light of Nkurunziza’s decision, opposition groups mounted several public protests and elements of the Burundian military sought to depose him in a coup in May.  That attempt failed and since that time international observers have worried that Burundi is becoming a cauldron of political unrest, which could break down along ethnic lines and produce another mass genocide on the African continent reminiscent of what took place in Rwanda in 1994.  Observers also worry about the radicalization of Burundian refugees and that the nation’s unrest could ignite a multi-national struggle between Burundi, Uganda, and Rwanda and their allies in East Africa.  Additionally, Burundi’s unrest provides a test of the African Union’s (AU) ability to protect civilians populations in its member states and its willingness to prevent future crimes against humanity.

This topic brief will provide some background on the ongoing political conflict in Burundi, explain how the international community has responded to the issue, and breakdown some implications of the unrest for Burundi and its neighbors.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of December 28, 2015-January 3, 2016

[fblike]

HOTtopics1. Is Mongolia’s economy turning the corner?
2. Which nation should be the “country of the year” for 2015?
3. Will Ukraine’s economic problems strengthen the nation’s pro-Russian forces?
4. How can poorer nations prevent “brain drain”?
5. Should the world lament the end of the Doha trade round?
6. Will the Syrian Civil War be brought to a conclusion in 2016?
7. Has FIFA done enough to cleanse itself of corruption?
8. Will Turkey’s renewed war against the PKK prove to be a political nightmare for Erdogan?
9. Is the Japanese economy headed for greater recovery in 2016?
10. Would a greater shift to the political right benefit Latin America?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of December 21-27, 2015

[fblike]

HOTtopics1. What role should the AU play in Burundi’s political dispute?
2. Is David Cameron mishandling his negotiations with the EU?
3. Has Jacob Zuma undermined South Africa’s democratic institutions?
4. Should national governments be given the power to censor the Internet?
5. Is Saudi Arabia poorly positioned to lead a Middle Eastern anti-terror coalition?
6. Were the Nairobi negotiations a significant victory for the World Trade Organization?
7. Do the results of the Spanish parliamentary elections bode ill for the nation’s economic future?
8. Is the PKK a terrorist organization?
9. Can Russia win its “Cold War” with Turkey?
10. Was Rwanda’s recent referendum on abolishing presidential term limits legitimate?

 

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of December 14-20, 2015

[fblike]

HOTtopics1. Is the Paris climate agreement a turning point in the global fight against climate change?
2. Has OPEC ceased to be a significant player in the global economy?
3. Is an ISIS presence in Libya or Syria a bigger threat to the West?
4. Should Venezuela’s opposition seek the removal of Nicolas Maduro?
5. Does Ukraine need a new governing coalition?
6. How can South Africa avoid having its debt reduced to junk status?
7. Is Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption drive going too far?
8. Was Angela Merkel a deserving winner of Time’s “Person of the Year”?
9. Is the Japanese economy on the road to recovery?
10. Can the Frangieh-Hariri power sharing proposal rescue Lebanon?

The Impeachment Trial of Dilma Rousseff

[fblike]

Once heralded as one of the strongest emerging economies, Brazil has seen its economic fortunes wane over the past year as a result of corruption scandals, fiscal management, and bureaucratic incompetence.  The nation is in the midst of a recession – the longest downturn since the 1930s – and unemployment is nearing double digits.  As if this was not bad enough, Brazil’s Congress is moving to remove President Dilma Rousseff on charges that she violated Brazil’s fiscal management laws by manipulating government finances to aid her re-election campaign last year.  Congress may also move to look into whether Rousseff played any part in a scandal at the state-owned oil company Petrobras, as she was Brazil’s energy minister in former President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva’s government.  While some investors have welcomed the move to impeach Rousseff – viewing her as an obstacle to sound economic management – other analysts worry that the impeachment controversy will be an unwelcome distraction as Brazil attempts to correct its present economic trajectory.  Rousseff’s defenders argue that her prosecution is politically motivated and that Speaker Eduardo Cunha only initiated the proceedings after Rousseff’s Worker’s Party (PT) moved to oust him on charges of bribery and money-laundering.

This topic brief will briefly discuss the current impeachment process, explain the political dynamics behind it, and then describe some scenarios that could occur in the coming months with regards to Rousseff’s potential impeachment.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of December 7-13, 2015

[fblike]

HOTtopics1. What regulations should Canada put in place when it legalizes marijuana?
2. Are ground troops the only way that Western nations can effectively combat ISIS?
3. Is the African economy wedded too much to commodities?
4. Are Turkish troops violating Iraqi sovereignty?
5. How can China better combat cybercrime?
6. What steps do Southeast Asian nations need to take to handle refugees from Thailand and Myanmar?
7. Should there be a ban on editing human embryos?
8. Is Kenya doing a better job targeting corrupt public officials?
9. What should be the defense policy of Great Britain?
10. Would the impeachment of Dilma Rousseff improve the Brazilian economy?

Russian-Turkish Tensions (2015)

[fblike]

An incident that many commentators had been fearing in Syria took place last week when Turkish forces shot down a Russian aircraft that allegedly violated Turkish airspace.  The Russian plane was reportedly flying a mission to bomb rebel positions near the Turkish border, something that Russia has made a common occurrence since deciding several months ago to bolster its support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.  The Turkish government claimed that it warned the Russian aircraft before shooting it down, but Russia denies these claims.  Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded an apology and has taken economic countermeasures against Turkey in response to the incident.  Considering the fact that France is trying to get both nations to take part in an international coalition to fight the Islamic State, the Russian-Turkish incident illustrates how assembling such a coalition will prove difficult.  After all, both nations support opposite sides in the Syrian Civil War.  Also, the incident sparks questions about what the Western world should do if a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) finds itself in a military spat with Russia.

This topic brief will describe the origins of the tensions between Russia and Turkey; explain what measures Russia has taken against Turkey in response to the incident; and then elaborate on what Russian-Turkish tensions may mean for a future coalition against the Islamic State, the Syrian conflict, future ties between the countries, and NATO-Russian relations.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of November 30-December 6, 2015

[fblike]

HOTtopics1. Should NATO expel Turkey?
2. Can Rafael Correa pull off a Putin-like presidential switch?
3. Is the UN’s advocacy of women’s rights hypocritical?
4. Should the international community lend more support to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters?
5. Who should Haitian voters select as their next president?
6. What steps does China need to take to reduce air pollution?
7. Did Belgium overreact to terror threats made against it?
8. What ails the European economy?
9. Will there be a major breakthrough at the Paris climate talks?
10. Is Turkey becoming an obstacle in the fight against ISIS?

The Paris Climate Talks

[fblike]

Starting next Monday, more than one hundred heads of state, climate activists, international officials, and scientists will convene in Paris for negotiations on a new global climate accord that can replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.  The conference, also referred to as COP21, will aim to install oversight of carbon emission reductions by the developed (and possibly developing world) and create a framework to aid developing nations in climate mitigation efforts.  Those following environmental policy are hopeful that this conference, which has been promoted for two years, will not collapse like the Copenhagen talks did in 2009.  However, limitations facing U.S. President Barack Obama, who once dreamed of a farther reaching and legally binding climate accord, may constrain the talks since the Republican Party is likely to reject any agreement that obligates the United States to reduce its carbon emissions.  According to climate activists, the failure of the Paris talks would set the world on a dangerous path since the world is set to have its hottest year on record this year.  According to these activists the time to act on climate change has finally arrived.

This topic brief will cover the aims of those meeting at the Paris climate talks, explain some of the possible outcomes of the talks, and then provide an evaluation of how extempers should interpret whether the talks are successful.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

Page 26 of 58

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén