Category: International Extemp Page 50 of 59

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of November 3rd-9th, 2009

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On November 4, 2009

In International Extemp, Weekly Questions

HOTtopics

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?

Extemp Questions for the Week of October 27th-November 2nd, 2009

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On October 27, 2009

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1.  Who will win the New Jersey gubernatorial race?questions
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?

Extemp Questions for the Week of October 20th-26th, 2009

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On October 20, 2009

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

questions

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?

Extemp Questions for the Week of October 13th-19th, 2009

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On October 13, 2009

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Is David Patraeus the new Eisenhower?questions
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?

Topic Brief: G-20 Summit

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On October 7, 2009

In International Extemp, Topic Brief

International Monetary Fund Photograph/Stephen Jaffe

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.

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Extemp Questions for the Week of October 6th-12th, 2009

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On October 6, 2009

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1.  Is the public option dead?questions
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?

Extemp Questions for the Week of September 29th-October 5th, 2009

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On September 29, 2009

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. How much economic reform will the next German government be able to achieve?questions
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?

Topic Brief: 2009 German Federal Election Results

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On September 29, 2009

In International Extemp, Topic Brief

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.

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Topic Brief: Missile Defense Adjustments in Europe

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On September 23, 2009

In International Extemp, Topic Brief

Last Friday, President Barack Obama opened a new chapter in U.S.-Russian relations by decided to adjust plans to place missile interceptors in Poland and an advanced radar system in the Czech Republic.  Obama’s policy was likely fuelled by advice from the Defense Department, who had argued that such a system was not capable of meeting the defense needs of America or its allies in the region, and a belief that cooperation with Russia was needed to resolve pressing world problems, notably nuclear proliferation.

Despite this backing and these strategic calculations, proponents of a missile defense system have argued that President Obama has greatly weakened the security of U.S. interests in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.  They also argue that the President sold out countries in Eastern Europe who have been very loyal to the United States to Russia, for whom they wish to receive protection from.

Since extempers will be faced with answering questions pertaining to this issue in the weeks ahead, it is timely to have a topic brief lay out the history of missile defense, the new defense plans the Obama administration is adopting in Eastern Europe, and what major changes in American foreign policy may be realized by this defensive shift.

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Extemp Questions for the Week of September 22nd-28th, 2009

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On September 22, 2009

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1.  Does the tea party movement significantly threaten Obama’s presidency?questions
2. Should the UN sanction Venezuela if it undermines stronger sanctions on Iran?
3. Does healthcare legislation need to do more to restrict access by illegal immigrants?
4. Is U.S. policy pushing Israel closer to attacking Iran?
5. Why is violent crime declining in the United States?
6. Is the DPJ’s stimulus enough?
7. Have American’s lost confidence in the mainstream media?
8. Is Obama playing with fire in deciding to slap import tariffs on Chinese tires?
9. How much of a possibility is a double dip recession for the U.S. economy?
10. Will Noordin’s death make Indonesia safer from terrorism in the long-term?

Extemp Questions for the Week of September 15th-21st, 2009

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On September 15, 2009

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Will Wilson’s outburst cost him re-election?questions
2. Has China lost control of Xinjiang?
3. Will the Megrahi situation cause the Obama administration to be more hesitant to release prisoners at Gitmo?
4. Did Uribe beat Chavez on U.S. military bases in Colombia?
5. Is the U.S. budget deficit hurting the country’s economic competitiveness?
6. Does Japan need to patch up its economic safety net?
7. Is the Obama administration overselling the stimulus?
8. Has the ECC recount discredited the Afghan election?
9. Is the Malay government doing a poor job managing the country’s ethnic disputes?
10. How can Palin learn to “howl like the wolves”?

Extemp Questions for the Week of September 8th-14th, 2009

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On September 8, 2009

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Has environmentalism overrun common sense in California?questions
2. Does China’s recent criticism of Myanmar show that it is taking the issue of human rights more seriously?
3. Should climate change denial be a crime?
4. Does the U.S. need more e-colleges?
5. How much change will the DPJ be able to bring to Japan?
6. Should Massachusetts legislators change state law to allow Deval Patrick to appoint an interim replacement for Ted Kennedy?
7. Is the West embracing Libya too much?
8. Does the current economic climate make immigration reform harder?
9. Is the high prevalence of private contractors in Afghanistan an impediment to success there?
10. Is Berlusconi’s government living on a prayer?

Extemp Questions for the Week of September 1st-7th, 2009

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On September 1, 2009

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Is China doing enough to curb environmental pollution?questions
2. Who is Mexico’s most dangerous drug cartel?
3. Are attempts at a bipartisan solution to healthcare futile?
4. How can the U.S. military increase the mental health of its troops?
5. Does Bernanke deserve another term?
6. Are Democrats politicizing Ted Kennedy’s death?
7. Does Angela Merkel need to become more aggressive after local election setbacks for her party?
8. How can opium be eradicated in Afghanistan?
9. Will the High Value Detainee Interrogation Group be a better way to get information from terror suspects?
10. How will the DPJ adjust Japan’s relationship with the United States?

Topic Brief: 2009 Afghan Elections

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On September 1, 2009

In International Extemp, Topic Brief

Two weeks ago, the nation of Afghanistan held its second presidential election since the U.S. invasion of the country in 2001.  President Hamid Karzai was looking for another term in office against 39 other candidates, the most notable of which was Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, a ethnic Tajik who was a former foreign minister in the Afghan government.  The election was seen as a measuring stick of how stable, or unstable, Afghanistan has become over the last several years.

By most military estimates, Afghanistan is in danger of being lost.  Years of ignoring the country’s internal development due to the war in Iraq have allowed warlords to continue to hold control of parts of the country and the Taliban to spread out.  Areas in northern and western Afghanistan which had before been pacified by American troops and NATO forces are now under more influence from the Taliban.  Afghan experts are fearing that a Taliban insurgency could become a wider rebellion against the Afghan government.

While the Afghan election result is still uncertain and it is possible that there will be a runoff in October, extempers would be wise to consider the possibilities of the result and the impact the result will have on U.S. Afghan policy, the war in Afghanistan, and the country’s internal political structure.  As such, this brief will detail some crucial events in the run-up to the Afghan election, the behavior of the vote, and why it matters for Afghanistan’s future.

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Extemp Questions for the Week of August 25th-31st, 2009

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On August 25, 2009

In International Extemp, U.S. Extemp, Weekly Questions

1. Does David Cameron need to be more specific about his plans to cut Britain’s deficit?questions
2. Should Israel strongly consider launching a new offensive against Hezbollah?
3. Can Bill Clinton make a difference for Haiti?
4. Is the global recession over?
5. Will the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi strain US-British relations?
6. How can the GOP successfully rebrand itself?
7. Will Obama’s planned reforms to the VA significantly help veterans?
8. Should the Obama administration push to abolish DOMA?
9. How can Obama increase support for the Afghan war?
10. Should the drinking age be lowered to 18?

Also, the first edition of the Ex Files for the 2009-2010 season will be released early next week (if not sooner). Included will be a roundtable discussion of Obama’s healthcare plan, an interview with last year’s National Points Race champion Stacey Chen, a preview of the Wake Forest National Early Bird, a breakdown of point changes in this year’s National Points Race, and more!

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