1. Are there significant parallels between China’s economic growth and Japan’s of the 1980s?
2. Why is Pakistan only concerned about Taliban elements that threaten its domestic security?
3. Will Yulia Tymoshenko win the Ukranian presidential election?
4. Should the international community be doing more to support the protests in Iran?
5. Will BRIC turn into BIRIC?
6. How can Europe make itself less dependent on Russian gas?
7. Will a 2011 referendum on southern independence in Sudan lead to the breakup of the nation?
8. Is Berlusconi the cause of rising tensions in Italian politics?
9. Will the near arrest of Tzipi Livni in December significantly impair the Israeli-British relationship?
10. Do the Liberals have any chance of winning the Australian elections in 2010?
Category: International Extemp Page 47 of 56
1. Is there a something rotten with the state of Venezuela’s banks?
2. Has Russia effectively thwarted Georgia and Ukraine’s steps toward NATO membership?
3. What should be Yukiya Amano’s first priority as the new head of the IAEA?
4. Why is Greece on the brink of bankruptcy?
5. Will EU expansion plans into the Balkans delay Turkey’s admission into the organization?
6. Can Tony Abbott resuscitate Australia’s Liberal Party?
7. Is domestic criticism of Stephen Harper’s stance towards China misplaced?
8. Will the Tamils be the kingmaker in the Sri Lankan presidential election?
9. Do Chinese efforts to prosecute Liu Xiaobo show that a crackdown on human rights defenders has become standard operating procedure for the Chinese government?
10. Which is worse: the bombing of Iran or Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon?
1. Will Japan’s stimulus package help it stave off deflation?
2. Can Afghanistan build an effective army within the next two years?
3. Will Iran arrest Mousavi?
4. Can a Palestinian boycott on Israeli products from the West Bank cause Israel to reconsider its settlement policy?
5. Will Romania’s presidential election result stand?
6. Should Turkey’s Constitutional Court ban the DTP?
7. Does the the reelection of Evo Morales breathe new life into Latin America’s socialist movement?
8. Is the conviction of Amanda Knox a stain on Italian justice?
9. Will Michel Barnier wreck havoc on London financial services?
10. Is the Honduran Congress making a mistake in not allowing Zelaya to finish the law several weeks of his term?
1. Is Switzerland’s vote to ban minaret construction a setback for efforts to better integrate Muslims into European society?
2. How will Australia’s defeat of a carbon trading system impact Copenhagen?
3. Will North Korea’s freeze on cash transactions accelerate the country’s economic collapse?
4. Would a positive ruling by the ICJ in Kosovo’s favor lead to it being recognized by more countries in the international community?
5. Will the troubles at Dubai World force the UAE’s economy to become more transparent?
6. Has the recent Honduran election finally resolved the country’s political crisis?
7. Will South Africa be able to afford Zuma’s new plan to provide treatment to all children with HIV?
8. Why did Mujica distance himself from Chavez in the Uruguay runoff?
9. Would it be in Germany’s best interests to stop the prosecution of John Demjanjuk?
10. Will extra US troops make a difference in Afghanistan?
1. Does the massacre in Mindanao pose an immediate threat to Filipino democracy?
2. Was the EU’s selection of Rompuy as its first president a missed opportunity?
3. Would a prisoner swap with Hamas make Israel appear weak in the eyes of its enemies?
4. As it draws to a close, has the Khmer Rouge trial been a healing experience for Cambodia?
5. What is the probability that Iraq will have a national vote in January?
6. Does India need the U.S.?
7. Is the gradual abolition of term limits in Latin America as alarming as it seems?
8. Will “Climategate” derail Copenhagen?
9. Is ElBaradei’s optimistic outlook about achieving an Iranian nuclear accord misguided?
10. Will Traian Basescu win re-election in Romania?
1. Has the UN food summit been a failure?
2. Does the status of Franco-German relations dictate the direction and power of the EU?
3. Should Brown back Blair for EU president?
4. Does Uribe need to do more to protect labor unions?
5. How likely are Kurds to boycott the Iraqi elections?
6. Does Latin America have a role to play in the Middle East peace process?
7. Is China gaining a significant amount of influence on U.S. domestic policy?
8. What is behind Russia’s preemptive nuclear strike policy?
9. Should Cambodia have extradited Shinawatra?
10. What is the purpose of Chavez’s threats of war with Colombia?
Here are your International extemp questions for the week of November 10th-16th. United States questions will be released tomorrow morning. Since there is more content on the site now, if you can’t find the questions in the future just click on the Weekly Questions category on the right column of the web page.
1. Water shortages in Venezuela: Who is to blame?
2. Who will win Uruguay’s runoff election?
3. How serious is Europe’s illegal immigration problem?
4. Does the UN’s withdrawal of workers after a Kabul attack significantly hamper the Afghan reconstruction effort?
5. Twenty years after the fall of the wall, has Western democracy finally triumphed over tyranny in Eastern Europe?
6. Should the ICC prosecute senior Kenya officials over election violence?
7. Does Chile need to reconsider its land restoration policies for its indigenous peoples?
8. Will the sacking of Michele Pierre-Louis damage Haiti’s ability to bring in foreign aid?
9. Has Netanyahu beaten Obama?
10. Does Yemen or Somalia pose a bigger terror risk for the international community?
1. Will Germany’s new government be more open to letting Turkey into the EU?
2. After the election debacle, does the Afghan government have any credibility left?
3. Is the U.S. wrong to consult Burma despite next year’s flawed election setup?
4. Why did Klaus change his mind on Lisbon?
5. Will the release of Simon Mann enhance Equitorial Guinea’s international standing?
6. Are crackdowns on the press making Iran’s economic situation worse?
7. If Zelaya is reinstated, is it a significant blow for Latin American democracy?
8. Who should be the first EU president?
9. How should Poland react to Russia’s recent nuclear attack simulation?
10. Was Norway’s decision to raise interest rates wise?
1. Who will win the New Jersey gubernatorial race?
2. Is it too late to save the Afghan election?
3. Will a public option opt-out in the Senate healthcare bill enable it to overcome a filibsuter?
4. Should Congress rein in Obama’s czars?
5. What explains José Mujica’s electoral success?
6. Will Karadzic’s war crimes trial be a boon for international justice?
7. What is the key to Pakistan achieving success in South Waziristan?
8. Can Nigeria’s amnesty for militants in the Niger Delta bring the calm the country needs?
9. Will the perceived ineffectiveness of the stimulus bill hurt Democrats in 2010?
10. Did Obama act too early in declaring a national emergency over swine flu?
1. Due to its economic problems, should the U.S. cut foreign aid?
2. How can the Democrats get 60 votes on healthcare reform?
3. Was it a shrewd move for Fatah to endorse the Egyptian reconciliation plan?
4. Despite its more inclusive government, why are foreigners still wary of investing in Zimbabwe?
5. Is America’s Afghan strategy in danger of doing counter-insurgency on the cheap?
6. What can rescue the Michigan economy?
7. Do the U.S. and Pakistan need to do more to address the concerns of the Pashtun people?
8. Why are AIG employees getting yet another round of bonuses?
9. If the U.S. were to copy a nation’s healthcare system who should it be?
10. Will the British National Party be successful come election time?
1. Is David Patraeus the new Eisenhower?
2. What is the best way to solve the unemployment problem in America?
3. How can the Czech Republic be compelled to ratify Lisbon?
4. Has Abbas ruined his standing with the Palestinian people over the Goldstone report?
5. Should Democrats force Charlie Rangel to give up his chairmanship?
6. Considering their election prospects, why has the Labor Party not ousted Gordon Brown?
7. Do 2nd amendment rights apply to state and local governments?
8. Will Israel ever give back the Golan Heights?
9. Should the U.S. be doing more to reinstate the Monroe Doctrine in the Western Hemisphere?
10. How will winning the Nobel Peace Prize impact Barack Obama’s foreign policy?
International Monetary Fund Photograph/Stephen Jaffe
by Logan Scisco
Two weeks ago, the leaders of nineteen of the world’s influential economies, with the European Union, met in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for another round of G-20 summit talks. The G-20 is an organization created in 1999 that is meant to be a broader discussion forum of developed and developing economies. The G-7, an economic forum that featured the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, and Japan, was sometimes called too elitist and too isolated from emerging economies like China, India, and Brazil. (Writer’s Note: The G-8 is the name for the economic organization that includes all of the members of the G-7 plus Russia).
In Pittsburgh, President Barack Obama hosted the second meeting of the G-20 in 2009 (the first was held in London). Throughout their discussions, leaders of the countries that are part of the G-20 debated the equality of voting rights in the International Monetary Fund, banking regulations, economic stimulus packages, free trade, and deciphering what the exact mission of the G-20 was going to be.
G-20 meetings will continue to play a pivotal role in the shaping of the world’s economic output for years to come. As a result, extempers will start to see more questions about the G-20 in the future. This brief will explain the composition of the G-20, what the latest summit accomplished, and the chance that their reforms will greatly affect the world economy.
1. Is the public option dead?
2. How can China be persuaded to put sanctions on Iran?
3. Can Tim Pawlenty win back the White House for the GOP in 2012?
4. Should Hamas release Gilad Shalit?
5. Does Hillary Clinton’s focus on women’s issues have a positive or negative impact on other U.S. foreign policy priorities?
6. Why did Chicago fail to win its IOC bid for the 2016 Olympics?
7. What does the SPD’s poor performance in the German elections mean for the party’s future?
8. Is the material support law unconstitutional?
9. Does the Federal Reserve need to raise interest rates?
10. Did the G-20 fail on climate change?
1. How much economic reform will the next German government be able to achieve?
2. Is Hamas making Netanyahu’s job easy?
3. Will South Korea’s offer of a “grand bargain” significantly change the way the international community handles North Korea?
4. Is Zelaya’s return a diplomatic coup for Brazil over Chavez?
5. In light of a recent GAO report, does the US need to rethink the border fence?
6. If Copenhagen fails, will the U.S. be to blame?
7. Will McChrystal get his troops?
8. Is California’s attempt at tax reform DOA?
9. Should Latin American anti-poverty measures be widely adopted in the United States?
10. Has the left become disenchanted with Obama?
Several days ago, Germany’s federal election took place and voters gave Chancellor Angela Merkel another term in office. The major change from the election result was that the period of Germany’s “grand coalition” between Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), and the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Social Democrats (SPD) is finished. Instead, Germany will now be governed by a coalition of Merkel’s CDU/CSU and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), which last governed Germany together in 1998.
The German election result may pose a major re-alignment in German politics, as the major parties become more polarized in opposition to each other and there is a clearer ideological split between minor parties. Also, much of the new government’s work will be focused on improving the national economy, which barely climbed out of recession at the end of the second quarter.
To discuss these issues, this week’s brief will explain the German federal election. To do so, we will examine the run-up to the election, how the election turned out, and what the new governing coalition of the CDU/CSU and the FDP will be able to accomplish in their new term.