Category: International Extemp Page 52 of 56

On October 21, 2008

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

1. Why is Obama’s lead in the polls shrinking?

2. Will California voters pass Proposition 8?

3. Would a new stimulus package help the U.S. economy?

4. Has the oil bubble burst?

5. What does the Powell endorsement mean for Obama?

6. How long will Harper’s minority government last?

7. Will Zimbabwe’s new political crisis achieve a quick resolution?

8. Why are Central Asian countries facing food shortages?

9. How would a Democratic controlled, filibuster-proof Senate mean change the United States?

10. Why has Sarkozy become a key figure on the global economic crisis?

Topic Brief: 2008 Canadian Elections

On October 21, 2008

Background

With most extempers worried about how the U.S. elections are going to turn out , many might have missed the news about the Canadian elections that happened last Tuesday. The Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper, the leader of the Conservative Party, called the elections in the hopes that he could lead his party to a majority of seats in the Canadian parliament. The Conservative Party had ruled the country for the last 32 months, but had done so from minority status, which makes it difficult to survive votes of no confidence and pass budget and other procedural matters.

Building majority governments has grown difficult in Canada where a parliamentary system that does not use proportional representation has grown skewed because the country has seen a political shift from a two party structure to a five party structure. Harper’s Conservative Party is part of this political shift, created in 2003 in a merger between the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance.

Topic Brief: Syria and Iran as Agents of Change in the Middle East

On October 15, 2008

By Omar Qureshi

The Middle East has long been an area of major misunderstanding for the west. Whether it is the volatile nature of popular will in Iran or the legacy politics in Syria there doesn’t seem to be a clear, general regional trend. The challenge of this understanding has led to many different foreign policy approaches towards the region as a whole. Regardless of whether it has been Clinton’s “aesthetic peace policy” or the much more expansive “Bush Doctrine” of preemptive war, these policies are specifically developed for the Middle East. Moreover, these policies have embraced the 1975 idea of Pax Syriana. This term literally means “Syrian peace,” but international relations theorists have taken it to mean the attempted reshaping of the Middle East to the desires of major actors. Clinton wanted peace- or at least the appearance of peace and George W. Bush wants to develop strategic alliances backed by hard power- a move that has substantially disenfranchised the Middle East on the whole. The preeminent actors in the Middle East today are Syria and Iran.

Topic Brief: South African Politics

By admin

On October 15, 2008

topicbrief By Logan Scisco

Background

Over the last several weeks, international extempers have most likely read about the recent political developments in South Africa, arguably the strongest power on the African continent. For those extempers that have not had a chance to catch up on these developments, Thabo Mbeki is no longer president of the country. After a prolonged political struggle between Jacob Zuma, who was Mr. Mbeki’s deputy president (a position most akin to vice-president in the United States) and who deposed Mr. Mbeki as leader of the African National Congress (ANC) in December, it appears that Mr. Zuma has won. This victory came within the span of a month when Mr. Zuma was first acquitted of fraud and corruption charges based on a judicial technicality. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the body of the South African judiciary who initiates criminal cases for the government, was said in the dismissal of the charges to have been influenced in its prosecution by Mr. Mbeki and his supporters. This finding by the judge overseeing Mr. Zuma’s case gave weight to charges, long echoed by Mr. Zuma’s supporters, that Mr. Mbeki has been an overzealous president who has been intolerant of political opposition and that Mr. Mbeki has been willing to use the instruments of the state to clamp down on this dissent. On September 20^th, the ANC decided that Mr. Mbeki should resign his post in order to end the political struggle that has gripped the country for three years.

Having set the background, this brief will give an overview of the structure and history of South Africa’s political system, the current state of the government, and what challenges that government faces in the future.

Topic Brief: Somalia (2008)

On October 15, 2008

Background

With the seizure two weeks ago of the MV Faina, a Ukrainian freighter, by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the world and its press have suddenly rediscovered the problems that exist in Somalia. Piracy off of Somalia’s waters is hardly a new phenomenon and is increasing on a yearly basis, with the international community too divided or apathetic to achieve a joint solution to the problem. What makes the seizure of the MV Faina important was that according to The Economist on October 4, 2008, the Faina had been equipped with anti-aircraft guns, grenade launchers, light weaponry, and 33 T-72 Russian tanks. Analysts fear that the pirates may have been able to ship much of the lighter weaponry to their allies in Somalia, although the chances of them being able to use the bigger weapons on board are slim. The seizure also has geopolitical implications in Africa, as the tanks on board were supposedly bound for southern Sudan, which is watching the clock and waiting for an opportunity to declare independence from Muslim-dominated northern Sudan in 2011.

Over the last two decades, Somali has had a very turbulent history, racked by civil wars and clan violence. Experienced extempers might note that they have had to focus on Somali before, when Ethiopia invaded the country to crush Islamic rebels in 2006. Today, extempers will need to focus on Somalia because the worsening political situation in the country has ramifications for the east Africa region as well as for the war on terrorism in the United States. Furthermore, the topic of Somali piracy is sure to emerge in question sets over the next month due to the fact that the world is trying to clamp down on surging pirate attacks, which threaten commerce in the Gulf of Aden, which has ten percent of the world’s shipping.

This brief will seek to provide extempers with some historical background about Somalia as well as briefly discuss several of the problems the country faces in the near future.

Extemp Questions for the Week of October 14th-20th, 2008

On October 14, 2008

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

1. Is the bailout package working?

2. Should Ethiopia withdraw from Somalia?

3. Will a new Ukranian election increase Yushenko’s power?

4. Should Khatami challenge Ahmadinejad?

5. How would an Obama administration change U.S. policy towards Israel?

6. Should the U.S. and China cooperate on climate change policy?

7. Is McCain finished?

8. Will California’s budget have to be renegotiated?

9. In these economic times, can America weather a tax increase?

10. How pertitent are ACORN’s activities to this year’s presidential election?

Extemp Questions for the Week of October 7th-13th, 2008

On October 7, 2008

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

1. How can the world stop the financial crisis?

2. Is the war in Afghanistan lost?

3. Will the Ayers attacks weigh down Obama?

4. Which party has the most to lose from the financial crisis?

5. How would Jacob Zuma reshape South African politics?

6. Are the culture wars dangerous for the U.S. political system?

7. Will federal money save the U.S. auto industry?

8. Should the West embrace Belarus?

9. Why is the EU in disarray over its climate change policy?

10. How can the music industry best combat piracy?

Topic Brief: South African Politics (2008)

On October 7, 2008

Background

Over the last several weeks, international extempers have most likely read about the recent political developments in South Africa, arguably the strongest power on the African continent. For those extempers that have not had a chance to catch up on these developments, Thabo Mbeki is no longer president of the country. After a prolonged political struggle between Jacob Zuma, who was Mr. Mbeki’s deputy president (a position most akin to vice-president in the United States) and who deposed Mr. Mbeki as leader of the African National Congress (ANC) in December, it appears that Mr. Zuma has won. This victory came within the span of a month when Mr. Zuma was first acquitted of fraud and corruption charges based on a judicial technicality. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the body of the South African judiciary who initiates criminal cases for the government, was said in the dismissal of the charges to have been influenced in its prosecution by Mr. Mbeki and his supporters. This finding by the judge overseeing Mr. Zuma’s case gave weight to charges, long echoed by Mr. Zuma’s supporters that Mr. Mbeki has been an overzealous president who has been intolerant of political opposition and that Mr. Mbeki has been willing to use the instruments of the state to clamp down on this dissent. On September 20^th, the ANC decided that Mr. Mbeki should resign his post in order to end the political struggle that has gripped the country for three years.

Having set the background, this brief will give an overview of the structure and history of South Africa’s political system, the current state of the government, and what challenges that government faces in the future.

Extemp Questions for the Week of September 30th-October 6th, 2008

On September 30, 2008

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

1. Why did the bailout bill fail?

2. Are workplace raids an effective deterent to illegal immigration?

3. Will the failed bailout hurt the GOP in November?

4. How should the world fight piracy off of Somali’s coast?

5. Is a complete Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank feasible?

6. Why is India seeing an increase in homegrown terrorism?

7. How important is the upcoming vice-presidential debate between Biden and Palin?

8. Will Ecuador’s new constitution be a boon for the country?

9. Is the Berlusconi government to blame for xenophobic attacks on foreigners?

10. Are voters perceptions of the economy locked in?

Topic Brief: Zimbabwe Unity Government

On September 30, 2008

Overview

President Robert Mugabe and his main rival agreed to divide control of the police and army and strike a delicate balance in Zimbabwe’s Cabinet — but their power-sharing deal will be under enormous pressure from long-simmering differences and economic collapse. Some members of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s party have already complained that the compromise didn’t do enough to sideline Mugabe. Western nations poised to send in sorely needed aid and investment also are wary of the man accused of holding onto power through violence and fraud and ruining the economy of what had been southern Africa’s breadbasket.

Extemp Questions for the Week of September 23rd-29th, 2008

On September 23, 2008

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

1. Is Congressional resistance to the federal government’s economic rescue plan justified?

2. Will Tzipi Livni be able to form a government?

3. Can Taro Aso reverse the LDP’s political fortunes?

4. Is early voting a good idea?

5. Why did Mbeki resign?

6. Who is the biggest winner of the mess on Wall Street?

7. Will there be a political impact to the Chinese tainted milk scandal?

8. If the Muslim Brotherhood won power in Egypt, how would it change the dynamics of the Middle East?

9. Should standardized tests be administered in public universities?

10. How should the U.S. respond if North Korea restarts its nuclear program?

Extemp Questions for the Week of September 16th-22nd, 2008

On September 16, 2008

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

1. Should the U.S. have bailed out Lehman Brothers?

2. How should the Obama camp take on Palin?

3. What do recent elections say about Angola?

4. How should the U.S. rethink the war on cancer?

5. Are voting irregularities fixed in time for the 2008 presidential election?

6. Can Stephen Harper and the conservatives win a majority in the upcoming Canadian elections?

7. Should Russia be expelled from the G8?

8. Will the recently brokered Zimbabwe power sharing agreement hold?

9. Should the EU admit Ukraine?

10. Will the U.S. Congress ratify the India nuclear deal?

Topic Brief: Russia’s Foreign Policy

By admin

On September 15, 2008