1. Is Obama’s plan to drop the “car czar” a good idea?
2. Who should be tapped to create Israel’s next government?
3. Is Pope Benedict XVI alienating mainstream Catholics?
4. Why did Chavez win his term limits referendum?
5. Is space junk a major problem that warrants international attention?
6. Are Pakistani concessions with the Taliban an indictment of the U.S.’s war on terror strategy?
7. Is the Israeli election or the upcoming Iranian presidential election more important for Middle Eastern stability?
8. Are fixing America’s banks the key to economic recovery?
9. Is the window closing for a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict?
10. Did Obama mishandle the presentation of the economic stimulus package?
Category: International Extemp Page 53 of 59
What effect would Russian support have on NATO dealings in Afghanistan?
Hugo Chavez for life?
Will Ireland default on its debts?
What does Hugo Chavez’s victory over term limits mean for Venezuela’s future?
By the end of 2009 will the LDP still be a strong political force in Japan?
Should the world get more serious over “space junk”?
Will Europe’s economic problems be a boon for the far right?
How should the world respond if North Korea proceeds with a planned rocket launch?
Should Russia aid NATO in Afghanistan?
After recent elections, Who should be Israel’s next prime minister?
Is Pakistan’s governments willingness to negotiate with the Taliban a sign of weakness?
Will the scandal involving Carl Neihaus damage the ANC’s political prospects?
How can Mexico stop violent crime?
Is Saudi Arabia becoming more moderate?
Are Moammar Kadafi’s plans to shake up the Libyan bureaucracy sound?
Why is Somali President Sharif Sheik Ahmed getting good reviews?
Is Iraq’s stability being threatened by its stagnant economy?
Are sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq beginning to ease?
How is mobile banking changing commerce in Africa?
Should the Obama administration rescind the American Service Members Protection Act?
What challenges are resulting from increased urbanization in Latin America?
What has been the cost of a joint operation to eliminate the LRA in Africa?
What does Richard Holbrooke hope to gain from his “listening tour” in Pakistan?
Who holds the keys to opening a new line of dialogue between the U.S. and Iran?
Why did the Pakistani government call a true over the Swat valley region?
Will a recent collision of nuclear submarines lead to changes in “waterspace management”?
Will Italy’s plan to crack down on “criminal content” on the internet result in a loss of freedom of expression?
Considering all the recent tension in the Middle East, it is no surprise that the recent Israeli parliamentary election was watched closely by governments across the world, especially those keen on the Middle East peace process. The election was a test for the ruling Kadima Party and its leader Tzipi Livni and was also a referendum on what course of action Israeli citizens preferred to the violence that has come their way from Hamas and Hezbollah in recent years.
The recent Israeli election was started back in September of last year when the Kadima Party, created by former prime minister Ariel Sharon in 2006, decided to replace embattled prime minister Ehud Olmert with foreign minister Tzipi Livni. Livni was given six weeks to form a new government after Olmert submitted his resignation. However, Livni was unable to create a governing majority in the Israeli parliament, known as the Knesset, and on October 26th recommended that early elections be held to establish a new Israeli government. This kept Olmert in the prime minister post on an interim basis.
This brief will describe the outcome of the Israeli election, what message voters appear to be sending, and what a future Israeli government may look like.
1. Will the economic stimulus package hurt the Democrats chances in 2010?
2. Are Asian countries complaints about how the West is responsible for its economic problems valid?
3. Was Tom Daschle’s withdrawal as Secretary of Health and Human Services a blow to Obama’s healthcare plans?
4. Is the current global economic turmoil bad for global stability?
5. Should NCAA athletes get paid?
6. Why has the honeymoon ended so soon for Obama?
7. Will current economic unrest in China provoke a Tiananmen Square II?
8. How can the U.S. get more support from its allies for its current operations in Afghanistan?
9. Will Hugo Chavez win his referendum to lift term limits?
10. How long will Zimbabwe’s new unity government last?
In light of recent wildfires, should the Australian government revise its “stay and defend” policy?
Were Australian officials prepared to deal with recent wildfires?
Is the U.S. government willing to accept the reality of a nuclear North Korea?
Will the Kadima Party suffer significant losses in upcoming Israeli elections?
How did the Israel-Gaza conflict shape this week’s elections?
What effect would Benjamin Netanyahu’s return to prominence in Israeli politics have on the country?
Was China successful in defending its human rights before the UN Human Rights Council?
Can George Mitchell do for the Middle East what he did in Northern Ireland?
Will Europe support the call for additional Western forces in Afghanistan?
What group has benefitted the most from passage of the Schengen Agreement?
Why is Ukraine’s financial state going from bad to worse?
Is Iran ready to reverse its anti-American stance?
Was Prime Minister Erdogan’s recent statement a setback for Turkey’s emerging role as Middle East peace broker?
Will Venezuelans vote to lift term limits?
How will the world receive an China-sponsored international TV news channel?
What is wrong with Britain’s military?
Why does Thailand’s government worry about refugees?
Were foreign complaints about the U.S. economic stimulus package valid?
Should China quit using GDP growth figures to judge local officials’ performance?
Will Qaddafi be able to accomplish his pan-African goals as leader of the AU?
Due to recent political developments in Zimbabwe, should sanctions be lifted against the country?
Will Ukraine’s economic woes negatively impact the development of its democracy?
Is the latest criticism about the Vatican overblown?
Will Canada’s latest budget save the Conservative government or did it just temporarily put it on life support?
Why is isolationist sentiment rising in Switzerland?
Was the UN’s Universal Periodic Review of China’s human rights record thorough?
What is the state of press freedom in Sudan?
Did Israel commit war crimes in Gaza?
Is Bangladesh’s democracy slipping back into corruption?
Why is Russia scrapping plans to station short-range missiles in Kaliningrad?
Are recent protests against the Russian government only a sign of things to come?
Will a Likud victory in the Israeli parliamentary elections make war with Iran imminent?
How will Mexico’s recession impact elections there this July?
Are free speech rights being eroded in the Netherlands?
Is there too much political meddling in the trial of Chen Shui-bian?
Will Thailand’s lese-majeste laws be abolished soon?
Should the U.S. force Pakistan to hand over terror suspects to India?
Does the world have al-Qaeda on the defensive?
Is the fighting in Gaza over?
Will rising unemployment in China threaten the position of the Communist Party?
Who should be NATO’s new secretary general?
Why did Zimbabwe’s opposition agree to join Robert Mugabe’s government?
Is the ICC mishandling the prosecution of Thomas Lubanga?
Who was the big loser in the recent Iraqi elections?
What is the most important outcome of the recent Iraqi provincial elections?
Should Iceland join the EU?
Is Iraq finally taking control of its future?
What will be the legacy of Umar S. Israilov?
Is a coup on the horizon for Madagascar?
How can the European Central Bank ensure equal benefits in a bailout?
How will the naming of Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed as president affect Somali politics?
How will Bolivia benefit from the global push for hybrid vehicles?
Can the government of Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis regain credibility?
Why has the recent snowstorm in London ground the city to a halt?
Will other nations agree to Qaddafi’s plans for a single African state?
1. Will the recession change America’s dismal savings rate?
2. Why was 2008 a bad year for the FARC?
3. Should Senate Republicans block the economic stimulus bill?
4. Is Muammar Qaddafi’s goal of creating a single African state realistic?
5. What do tax problems by some of his cabinet appointments say about the Obama administration?
6. Should the international community be worried about Iran’s successful launch of a satellite?
7. Can Michael Steele reverse the GOP’s decline?
8. Should Pope Benedict XVI step down over the lifting of the excommunication of Richard Williamson?
9. Will economic problems bring about a political transformation in Russia?
10. Is the nomination of Judd Gregg as the new commerce secretary a shrewd political move by Obama?
1. Is it too late to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon?
2. Has Michelle Rhee done a good job so far in changing the Washington D.C. school system?
3. Is the stimulus bill just a pork bill in disguise?
4. Can Rwanda successfully root out the FDLR in the DRC?
5. Will Bolivia’s new constitution heal the nation’s divisions?
6. Why are sexual discrimination complaints falling?
7. Will Obama’s stance on fuel emission standards create more trouble for Detroit’s automakers?
8. Will the Obama administration be more confrontational with China than the Bush administration?
9. Will closing Gitmo be a setback in the war on terrorism?
10. How would the election of Benjamin Netanyahu as the next Israeli prime minister affect the Middle East peace process?
1. Can the U.S. solve its energy crisis in the next 40 years?
2. Will the recently brokered truce between Israel and Hamas hold?
3. Why did the Dow plunge on inauguration day?
4. How should the Chinese government deal with rising unemployment rates?
5. Why is the Likud Party benefiting from the Gaza offensive?
6. Should the world cut off aid to Rwanda after its incursions into the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
7. Will the Fiat-Chrysler strategic alliance benefit both sides?
8. Can U.S. airlines see a turnaround in 2009?
9. Is America more or less safe than January 2001 when President Bush first became president?
10. Will Obama face more trouble from the left or the right in his first term?
Russia’s decision on January 5, 2009 to cut gas supplies to European consumers via pipelines in Ukraine has sent shockwaves throughout the European energy community. The dispute between the two countries, centering upon geopolitical issues on Russia’s western border, has plunged some European nations into a new discussion about the safety and security of Europe’s energy policy of relying on Russia for natural gas. Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin are still trying to test the West’s resolve against a somewhat resurgent Russia and are acting more aggressively now that some spots of protest has risen against their rule at home in light of the current economic problems facing the world.
Russia and Ukraine now seem to have reached a tentative deal on resuming gas supplies to Europe, with international monitors coming in to ensure that Ukraine does not siphon off Europe’s gas supply. However, there remain many conflicts that are not solved by the latest dispute, namely what Europe should do to secure a better energy future and how Ukraine will resolve its gas dispute with Russia.
This brief will explain some background on why Russia shut off gas to European consumers, what issues it brings up for Europe, and how it puts Ukraine is a very uncompromising position with Russia.
1. Will the Democrat’s decision to seat Burris cost them votes in 2010?
2. How will the federal governments projected deficit impact Barack Obama’s spending priorities?
3. Should Rudy Guiliani run for governor of New York?
4. What does the collapse of Satyam Computer Services say about Indian corporate governance?
5. Is President Bush responsible for the U.S. recession?
6. Will Taro Aso still be Japan’s prime minister by the end of 2009?
7. Would a successful Israeli invasion of Gaza bring the Israelis and Palestinians close to a peace accord?
8. Should Alvaro Uribe seek a third term as Colombia’s president?
9. What impact will Dr. Steven Chu have on America’s energy policy?
10. How can Europe best reduce its dependency on Russian natural gas supplies?
1. Can Israel win in Gaza?
2. Should the U.S. change the way it handles unemployment benefits?
3. Why has Blagojevich not been impeached?
4. Was Bangladesh’s vote fair?
5. Ten years on, has the euro achieved what it was supposed to?
6. Will the coup in Guinea bring positive change to the country?
7. Was Obama’s choice of Leon Panetta as the next CIA director a good one?
8. Should Obama take a stand in the Israeli-Hamas war?
9. Why are the Conservatives faltering in British political opinion polls?
10. How can U.S. schools get more math and science teachers?
1. Which country will be the biggest threat to international security in 2009?
2. Should the Senate refuse to seat Burris?
3. Is Caroline Kennedy a qualified candidate for U.S. Senate?
4. Will the Israeli offensive in Gaza help or hinder future Middle East peace talks?
5. Should the EU intervene in the Russia-Ukraine gas dispute?
6. Will the winner of the Minnesota Senate race have a tainted victory?
7. Do Bulgaria’s problems mean that the EU should cease expansion plans for the near future?
8. Should China change its export driven economic model?
9. Are “obesity taxes” a good idea?
10. Will OPEC’s production cuts save the global economy from deflation?
When the incoming presidential administration of Barack Obama considered what foreign policy challenges they might face in the first few weeks of office, it is fair to say that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was not at the top of the list. With international analysts warning of how close Iran is to having the capability to build a nuclear weapon and with the latest military moves by Pakistan along the Indian border, Obama’s transition team envisioned conflicts, but not one that has the potential to ruin much of the international goodwill Obama brings with him into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The latest attacks by the Israeli air force, and the massing of ground forces on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, a piece of territory Israel unilaterally and controversially disengaged from in 2005, have thus far led to 318 people being killed (although those numbers are guaranteed to change by the time you have read this brief). The UN Palestinian refugee agency has reported that 57 of the deaths thus far are civilians, prompting cries from the Middle East and at the United Nations for Israel to cease its military actions and allow for a ceasefire to be negotiated with themselves and Hamas, the militant organization and part of the Palestinian government that has control of Gaza.
This brief will give background and summarize the current conflict and provide some implications it has for the Obama administration and Israeli politics.
1. How should Obama’s Senate seat be filled?
2. Can the Congress of the People Party successfully challenge the ANC in the 2009 South African elections?
3. Are higher cigarette taxes a good idea for tobacco growing states?
4. Would it be wise for Obama to overturn the Cuban embargo?
5. Will the Blagojevich scandal ruin Obama’s economic stimulus plan?
6. Can Michael Ignatieff guide the Liberal Party of Canada back to power?
7. Should U.S. policymakers be more fearful of hyperinflationary or deflationary pressure in the economy?
8. Why are communal tensions in the Philippines on the rise?
9. Should the Big 3 automakers be allowed to go bankrupt?
10. How will Obama’s counter-terror strategy differ from President Bush?