Category: International Extemp Page 8 of 56

On December 6, 2021

1. If Russia invades Ukraine, should China invade Taiwan?
2. Should Great Britain allow Scotland to hold another independence referendum?
3. Will Eric Zemmour be Macron’s runoff challenger in the next French presidential election?
4. How can Xiomara Castro improve Honduran democracy?
5. Did the BJP err by repealing India’s farm laws?
6. Will international powers fail to reach an agreement with Iran over its nuclear program?
7. Does Sudan’s military have too much control over the nation’s political transition?
8. Will Silvio Berlusconi become the next president of Italy?
9. Has Africa become the battleground of the West’s emerging rivalry with China?
10. Five years on, has Colombia’s peace deal lived up to the hype?

R&D from Prepd: The Omicron Variant

On December 3, 2021

In International Extemp, R&D, U.S. Extemp

Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd (pronounced “prepped”). Prepd is building debate technology that helps extempers and congressional debaters research, practice, and compete. Visit www.prepd.in to learn more.

This week’s R&D covers the omicron variant of COVID-19. First discovered in South Africa, the variant is still under study and as of the time of this R&D’s creation, a handful of cases have been identified in the United States. There are fears that the new variant might infected vaccinated individuals and be more contagious than the delta variant from India.

As the omicron variant stirs concerns across the globe, the CDC says all American adults who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 should get a booster shot. https://t.co/bwuKaSZMaG

— U.S. News & World Report (@usnews) December 2, 2021

The possibility that Omicron might now outcompete Delta has the world on edge and may yet see markets lose their cool. We explain how wildly it differs from other variants https://t.co/KZFM8lNm7P

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) December 2, 2021

Biden says his top experts anticipate COVID-19 cases to increase in the weeks and months ahead as the omicron variant is likely to spread throughout the United States this winter. https://t.co/XiYLK6DWTj

— Roll Call (@rollcall) December 2, 2021

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of November 29-December 5, 2021

On November 29, 2021

1. Does China have too much influence over the WHO?
2. Are travel restrictions an effective tool in the fight against COVID variants?
3. Will cryptocurrency mining harm global efforts to mitigate climate change?
4. Should France grant autonomy to Guadeloupe?
5. Are the energy goals for Germany set by the Green Party unrealistic?
6. Should OPEC increase oil production?
7. Is the threat of a coup growing in Burkina Faso?
8. How can the Mexican government get criminal cartels under control?
9. Should Spain make changes to its Citizens Security Law?
10. Are Western efforts to ban arms sales to Myanmar’s military counterproductive?

R&D from Prepd: Chile’s Presidential Election

On November 26, 2021

Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd (pronounced “prepped”). Prepd is building debate technology that helps extempers and congressional debaters research, practice, and compete. Visit www.prepd.in to learn more.

This week’s R&D covers the Chilean presidential election. Last Sunday the country voted in the first round of its presidential poll and right-wing candidate Jose Antonio Kast and left-wing candidate Gabriel Boric advanced to a runoff as neither won more than 50% of the vote. The runoff will take place on December 19 and, as noted in this week’s quiz, the winner will inherit a messy social and economic situation as Chile is still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chile’s conservative presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast introduced a team of economic advisers, describing recovery and fiscal balance as central to his program https://t.co/ZgjSsRkeYF

— Bloomberg (@business) November 25, 2021

New in Opinion from @oppenheimera: The conventional wisdom is that Chile has committed political suicide after the victory of 2 extremists in the Nov. 21 first-round elections.

But there are reasons why they’ll have to make a sharp turn to the center. https://t.co/KIVYFC5oaf

— Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) November 24, 2021

The centrists guided Chile to stability and prosperity but came to be seen as unresponsive to citizens’ demands. José Antonio Kast and Gabriel Boric are heirs of this decade of discontent https://t.co/YXmRyV70Kp

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) November 25, 2021

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of November 22-28, 2021

On November 22, 2021

1. Is the reinstatement of Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok a victory for the nation’s democratic forces?
2. Should European governments worry about growing protests against COVID-19 restrictions?
3. Does Israel need term limits for future prime ministers?
4. Will Russia’s anti-satellite test cause more countries to test similar weapons over the next several years?
5. Who is likely to win the Chilean presidential runoff?
6. Are pro-democracy forces in Cuba weakening?
7. Will recent bombings cause Uganda to violate the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of Congo?
8. Do subsidy policies hurt the Indian economy?
9. Should Germany’s incoming government stop the nation’s involvement in NATO’s “nuclear sharing” agreement?
10. Is a “Cold War” with the United States in China’s best interest?

R&D from Prepd: Russian Provocations

On November 19, 2021

Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd (pronounced “prepped”). Prepd is building debate technology that helps extempers and congressional debaters research, practice, and compete. Visit www.prepd.in to learn more.

This week’s R&D covers recent Russian provocations. Over the past week, Russia has added to global anxieties by testing an anti-satellite weapon – causing the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) to seek cover from space debris – and massing troops on its border with Ukraine. France and Germany warned Russia earlier this week that harming Ukraine’s territorial integrity would met be met with “serious consequences.”

Earlier this week, Russia tested a direct-ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missile against a satellite target, scattering thousands of pieces of orbital debris and heightening the risk of collisions between objects in space.@nktpnd explains what happened: https://t.co/AWeT1fMl3C

— Carnegie Endowment (@CarnegieEndow) November 18, 2021

Ukraine says Russia is massing as many as 114,000 troops to the north, east, and south of the Donbass, a mostly Russian-speaking region where Russian-backed separatists have fought government forces since a pro-western revolution in Kyiv in 2014 https://t.co/fmDQ8RduBL pic.twitter.com/vk064wbSHB

— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) November 16, 2021

Russia poses a significant geopolitical threat to Ukraine, not only in terms of the energy sector but across the political, economic, and security spectrums, writes Eugene Chausovsky.https://t.co/xnaBpYqtYn

— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) November 18, 2021

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of November 15-21, 2021

On November 15, 2021

1. Should governments abandon lockdowns as part of their COVID mitigation policies?
2. Will Seif al-Islam win Libya’s presidential election?
3. Why is Germany having a hard time stopping a new surge in COVID cases?
4. Will the EU win its showdown with Lukashenko?
5. Should the UN impose any conditions on future food aid to Afghanistan?
6. Would it be wise for Russia to avoid a larger military conflict in Ukraine?
7. Should the “right to die” become a global human right?
8. What can cure Latin America’s “democratic recession”?
9. Was Nicaragua’s recent presidential election fair?
10. What does India need to do to win its long-term rivalry with China?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of November 8-14, 2021

On November 8, 2021

1. Is Xi Jinping’s “cultural revolution” working?
2. Will the pledges at COP26 be enough to prevent a significant rise in global temperatures by 2050?
3. Should the ICC do more to investigate American war crimes in Afghanistan?
4. Will Portugal’s snap elections prove fatal for its governing Socialist Party?
5. How can South Africa’s ANC recover from a dismal municipal election showing?
6. Should the Bank of England wait to raise interest rates?
7. What role should developing nations play in global climate change efforts?
8. Is the Bangladeshi government doing enough to quell religious violence?
9. Should the international community continue to provide food aid to North Korea?
10. How should the Iranian government approach new talks with the U.S. over its nuclear program?

R&D: The COP26 Summit

On November 5, 2021

Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd (pronounced “prepped”). Prepd is building debate technology that helps extempers and congressional debaters research, practice, and compete. Visit www.prepd.in to learn more.

This week’s R&D covers the COP26 Summit, the twenty-sixth meeting of nations that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1994 and later agreed to the Paris Climate Accord in 2015. The leaders of the attending nations are trying to work out a framework to prevent global temperatures from increasing by 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit over the next twenty years.

COP26 news: Coal phase-out boosts hope for limiting warming to 1.5°C https://t.co/4f5ou1KraU

— New Scientist (@newscientist) November 4, 2021

As long as multilateral engagement is defined by nationalism, power politics, and emotion, rather than solidarity, law, and science, our future will continue to grow bleaker, warns @ecfr‘s @markhleonard. #COP26 #climatechange https://t.co/djwaY5x5zJ

— Project Syndicate (@ProSyn) November 4, 2021

“COP is sort of turning into a greenwash campaign, a PR campaign, for C.E.O.s, world leaders, politicians,” said Greta Thunberg at an event on the sidelines of COP26. https://t.co/e2MzJMNgiw

— NYT Business (@nytimesbusiness) November 4, 2021

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of November 1-7, 2021

On November 1, 2021

1. How will Sudan’s military coup affect Israeli-Palestinian relations?
2. Will COP26 be able to implement a successful global climate plan?
3. Why are military coups increasing in Africa?
4. How should the LDP respond to the results of Japan’s recent election?
5. Is the WTO doing enough to advocate the benefits of free trade?
6. Will the inevitable re-election of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as the head of the WHO hurt the organization going forward?
7. Is the Ethiopian government losing the Tigray War?
8. Should Taiwan welcome the presence of U.S. troops in its country?
9. Are price controls hindering the Argentinian economy?
10. Should NATO be concerned about the growing arms race in the Balkans?

R&D from Prepd: The Tigray War

On October 29, 2021

Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd (pronounced “prepped”). Prepd is building debate technology that helps extempers and congressional debaters research, practice, and compete. Visit www.prepd.in to learn more.

This week’s R&D covers the violence in the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Fighting has engulfed the area since November. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered the country’s armed forces to go to Tigray after there was an attack on a national military base. Tigray’s major political party governed Ethiopia’s affairs for almost thirty years until Ahmed took power in April 2018. To date, the violence has claimed more than 8,000 lives.

Situation for Tigray’s Population Grows More Desperate @DeutscheWelle: https://t.co/46J8pVUgAO #Ethiopia #Tigrai pic.twitter.com/U7WiUCt4do

— allAfrica.com (@allafrica) October 26, 2021

“God have mercy.” Interviews and internal documents reveal the most detailed picture yet of life under government blockade in Ethiopia’s Tigray region. https://t.co/IHQiY2RULL

— The Associated Press (@AP) October 16, 2021

Ethiopian textile industry at risk if U.S. suspends trade deal over Tigray war https://t.co/FT04rHAT7X pic.twitter.com/g5kwt8Uv6N

— Reuters (@Reuters) October 28, 2021

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of October 25-31, 2021

On October 25, 2021

1. Is South Africa’s ANC incapable of solving the nation’s economic inequality?
2. Should Vladimir Putin weaponize Russia’s energy resources?
3. What should be China’s ambitions in space?
4. How can Libya become stable?
5. What steps should Taiwan’s government take to counteract China?
6. Should the rise of AUKUS alarm ASEAN?
7. Has Hungary’s political opposition found the key to defeating Viktor Orban?
8. Should Chilean lawmakers remove President Sebastian Pinera from power?
9. Does the Taliban need international assistance to defeat ISIS?
10. Have Europe’s far-right political parties lost momentum?

R&D: Global Supply Chain Bottlenecks

On October 22, 2021

Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd (pronounced “prepped”). Prepd is building debate technology that helps extempers and congressional debaters research, practice, and compete. Visit www.prepd.in to learn more.

This week’s R&D covers global supply chain bottlenecks. As an effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated shutdowns, the world is facing a massive supply chain crisis. Prices of groceries, automobiles, and energy sources are skyrocketing and the lack of resources is making things difficult for large and small businesses alike. In the United States, the Biden administration has committed to keeping West Coast shipyards open 24/7, while also modifying truck driver licensing requirements. However, experts warn that it could take more than a year to undo the damage.

China’s energy crisis threatens lengthy disruption to global supply chain https://t.co/uH5NkpMgsR

— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) October 17, 2021

“The White House has stumbled into a messaging problem when it comes to higher prices and empty shelves,” writes @jimantle: https://t.co/YVlZbIUCIu

— The Week (@TheWeek) October 21, 2021

Fears grow as UK factories hit by worst supply chain shortages since mid-70s https://t.co/6OIOGtKCe0

— The Guardian (@guardian) October 21, 2021

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of October 18-24, 2021

On October 18, 2021