Category: International Extemp Page 8 of 59

On May 31, 2022

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.

Over the next month and a half, Extemp Central will provide R&Ds on the topic areas for the 2022 NSDA National Tournament. USX topic areas will have R&Ds posted on Tuesday & Thursday and IX topic areas will have R&Ds posted on Tuesday & Friday. This is meant to help extempers assemble resources to prepare for the competition in Louisville. This week we tackle IX topic area #6 on environmental issues.

Since 1992, when the United Nations recognized climate change as a serious issue, negotiations among countries have produced notable accords, including the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement.

But leaders have failed to slow global temperature rise. https://t.co/MkJGzDYqhu

— Council on Foreign Relations (@CFR_org) May 29, 2022

Before and after: Satellite image shows horrific drought scouring Horn of Africa https://t.co/Bx2cDnmpEy

— The Independent (@Independent) May 24, 2022

Brazil has pledged to end illegal deforestation by 2028. But its president has relaxed enforcement of environmental safeguards https://t.co/U75p4KOuzk

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) May 22, 2022

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 30-June 5, 2022

On May 30, 2022

1. What lessons should the Chinese government learn from the West’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
2. Should Spain stop deporting asylum seekers to Algeria?
3. What preparations should Israel make for Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon?
4. Should Australia adopt a softer foreign policy toward China?
5. Is there anything the African Union can do to ease food shortages across the continent?
6. Should the UN conduct an inquiry into the death of Shireen Abu Akleh?
7. Why is Latin America turning left?
8. Should Afghanistan continue to provide a haven for the TTP?
9. Can Lebanon’s new parliament put the nation on the path to recovery?
10. Should the West allow Russian oligarchs to buy their way out of sanctions?

NSDA Nationals IX R&D from Prepd: Elections

On May 27, 2022

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.

Over the next month and a half, Extemp Central will provide R&Ds on the topic areas for the 2022 NSDA National Tournament. USX topic areas will have R&Ds posted on Tuesday & Thursday and IX topic areas will have R&Ds posted on Tuesday & Friday. This is meant to help extempers assemble resources to prepare for the competition in Louisville. This week we tackle IX topic area #5 on elections.

Colombia’s upcoming election could deliver the country’s first left-wing president, an outcome with the potential to transform Bogota’s approaches to economic policy, peace negotiations, and foreign relations. Here’s what to know. https://t.co/GyIoYXPfHm

— Council on Foreign Relations (@CFR_org) May 25, 2022

Evangelicals are key to Brazil’s upcoming election https://t.co/QUXxa3m5WB

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) May 19, 2022

Europe’s once surging movement of nationalist populists suffered a significant setback in Slovenia on Sunday, on the same day French voters rejected the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in their presidential election.https://t.co/BbinEKWChD

— The New York Times (@nytimes) April 25, 2022

NSDA Nationals IX R&D from Prepd: East & Southeast Asia

On May 24, 2022

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.

Over the next month and a half, Extemp Central will provide R&Ds on the topic areas for the 2022 NSDA National Tournament. USX topic areas will have R&Ds posted on Tuesday & Thursday and IX topic areas will have R&Ds posted on Tuesday & Friday. This is meant to help extempers assemble resources to prepare for the competition in Louisville. This week we tackle IX topic area #4 on East & Southeast Asia.

President Biden hosts a U.S.-ASEAN summit beginning today. Ahead of the meeting, here’s what to know about the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. https://t.co/C5EvWnd2FD

— Council on Foreign Relations (@CFR_org) May 12, 2022

How bad might North Korea’s first COVID-19 outbreak get, and what options does the international community have in responding? https://t.co/cE7UlSC7pe pic.twitter.com/Xf2ctBNEvH

— The Diplomat (@Diplomat_APAC) May 21, 2022

The long-term solution to tensions in East Asia is for the neighboring countries to start taking each other’s respective security concerns more seriously. https://t.co/3C9JrWkDPU pic.twitter.com/hM4WaoNiPZ

— The Diplomat (@Diplomat_APAC) April 28, 2022

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 23-29, 2022

On May 23, 2022

1. Should France pay reparations to Haiti?
2. What helped the Labor Party return to power in Australia?
3. Will monkeypox become the next global pandemic?
4. What does Macron’s new cabinet suggest about his political priorities?
5. Should Israel cease its military strikes in Syria?
6. Could Sri Lanka’s economic struggles lead to the re-emergence of the Tamil Tigers?
7. Is the Accra Initiative failing?
8. Who is likely to be Colombia’s next president?
9. What reforms should be made to the African Development Bank?
10. Is the idea of a global minimum tax deal dead?

NSDA Nationals IX R&D from Prepd: Central & South Asia

On May 20, 2022

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.

Over the next month and a half, Extemp Central will provide R&Ds on the topic areas for the 2022 NSDA National Tournament. USX topic areas will have R&Ds posted on Thursday and IX topic areas will have R&Ds posted on Friday. This is meant to help extempers assemble resources to prepare for the competition in Louisville. This week we tackle IX topic area #3 on Central & South Asia.

Haibatullah Akhunzada, the de facto head of state, has called on countries to engage with Afghanistan on the basis of “mutual respect.” That is not going to happen until other states get a bit of respect back https://t.co/0a3AmkZRln

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) May 17, 2022

India seeks to win public trust in crisis-hit Sri Lanka https://t.co/VPHy6WIVeS

— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) May 19, 2022

Sri Lanka fell into default for the first time in its history as the gov’t struggled to halt an economic crisis https://t.co/m2HA6caJ66 pic.twitter.com/iJsFZQJob7

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 19, 2022

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 16-22, 2022

On May 16, 2022

1. How should Western European nations respond to Turkish threats to block Finland and Sweden from joining NATO?
2. Will political deadlock in Northern Ireland escalate into a wider conflict between Great Britain and the European Union?
3. Is Venezuela’s stock sale a good buy for foreign investors?
4. Will a recent COVID outbreak create a humanitarian disaster in North Korea?
5. How will drought in the Horn of Africa affect neighboring countries?
6. Should the Japanese government move to reduce the U.S.’s military presence in Okinawa?
7. Would electoral reform stabilize Somalia?
8. How should the Israeli government respond to footage of riot police attacking pallbearers at the funeral of Shireen Abu Akleh?
9. What effect would the adoption of the euro have on Croatia’s economy?
10. If the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to go poorly, will Vladimir Putin be removed from power by the end of the year?

NSDA Nationals IX R&D from Prepd: Central & South America

On May 13, 2022

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.

Over the next month and a half, Extemp Central will provide R&Ds on the topic areas for the 2022 NSDA National Tournament. USX topic areas will have R&Ds posted on Thursday and IX topic areas will have R&Ds posted on Friday. This is meant to help extempers assemble resources to prepare for the competition in Louisville. This week we tackle IX topic area #2 on Central & South America.

An OPEC-style lithium pact in South America is a “far-fetched prospect” because of “key differences between the oil and lithium industries.”https://t.co/CJOYEiaVQm

— World Politics Review (@WPReview) April 16, 2022

China is South America’s top trading partner and a major source of both foreign direct investment and lending in energy and infrastructure.

But Beijing’s growing sway in the region has raised concerns in Washington and beyond. More in this explainer ⬇️ https://t.co/wq4I0rae7U

— Council on Foreign Relations (@CFR_org) April 28, 2022

South America’s breadbasket is also balancing on precarious ecosystems https://t.co/hT1nPmZHzg

— The Economist (@TheEconomist) April 30, 2022

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 9-15, 2022

On May 9, 2022

1. Is Yoon Suk-yeol too unpopular to effectively govern?
2. What was Russia’s biggest miscalculation in its invasion of Ukraine?
3. How will the Taliban’s new dress decree for women affect its efforts to get greater international recognition?
4. After bad results in local elections, should the Conservative Party ditch Boris Johnson?
5. How can Tunisia avoid economic collapse?
6. What reforms are needed of international institutions in order to make them more effective?
7. Should Mexico adopt electoral reforms proposed by AMLO?
8. Does the Philippines have a “strongman problem”?
9. How should the Quad respond to China’s security pact with the Solomon Islands?
10. Why is Turkey trying to form a closer relationship with Saudi Arabia?

NSDA Nationals IX R&D from Prepd: Africa

On May 6, 2022

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.

Over the next month and a half, Extemp Central will provide R&Ds on the topic areas for the 2022 NSDA National Tournament. USX topic areas will have R&Ds posted on Thursday and IX topic areas will have R&Ds posted on Friday. This is meant to help extempers assemble resources to prepare for the competition in Louisville. This week we tackle IX topic area #1 on Africa.

The ‘War on Terror’ did much to feed terrorism in the Horn of Africa. The 2006 Ethiopia invasion of Somalia was encouraged by the US as it sought to oust the Islamic Court Union, writes Alex Vines (@AfricaProg). https://t.co/weLLEmJeYX

— Chatham House (@ChathamHouse) April 30, 2022

Ethiopia continues to present a major source of instability for the Horn of Africa region and beyond. Mediation efforts by the African Union have made little progress, writes Alex Vines (@AfricaProg).https://t.co/sDvNVkTLo8

— Chatham House (@ChathamHouse) April 16, 2022

The U.S. announced $670 Million in food aid for Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen, where the war in Ukraine has exacerbated food insecurity.

Michelle Gavin outlines what to know about East Africa’s growing food crisis. https://t.co/OfnheXloc8

— Council on Foreign Relations (@CFR_org) April 28, 2022

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 2-8, 2022

On May 2, 2022

1. Will Vladimir Putin use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine?
2. How are drones reshaping global national security policy?
3. Should the EU expel Hungary for agreeing to Russia’s energy demands?
4. What can the WTO do to combat export bans on agricultural goods?
5. Which party will win the upcoming Lebanese elections?
6. Is Bangladesh sliding into autocracy?
7. If the Balkans fragile peace disintegrates, how should NATO respond?
8. Will Kim Jong-un’s provocative rhetoric cause Japan to build its own nuclear deterrent?
9. Should the international community extend more debt relief to African nations?
10. Can the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement be salvaged?

R&D from Prepd: Violence in Israel

On April 29, 2022

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 from Prepd covers recent violence in Israel. Muslim worshippers and Israeli police clashed a few weeks ago at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, leading to the suspension of the United Arab List in Israel’s governing coalition. There have been other clashes near holy sites as well, leading to fears of a third intifada, or uprising, by Palestinians. Recent violence has also spilled beyond Israel’s borders as the country made a military strike on Southern Lebanon after a rocket was fired into Northern Israel four days ago.

Israelis and Palestinians have traded fire across the Gaza frontier, and continued to clash in Jerusalem. Last year, amid the last flare-up of violence, @carlbildt highlighted four principles that should underpin a lasting peace agreement. https://t.co/OG8J6XmSrr

— Project Syndicate (@ProSyn) April 21, 2022

The two leaders discussed recent efforts to stop violence in Israel and the West Bank, including at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount complex in Jerusalem.https://t.co/PMMVDz7YAf

— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) April 26, 2022

Israel fired artillery shells into southern Lebanon after militants there launched a rocket into northern Israel, the Israeli military said https://t.co/oZaHtKrJTN

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) April 25, 2022

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of April 25-May 1, 2022

On April 25, 2022

1. How can Macron heal a polarized French nation?
2. What effect is the Russia-Ukraine War having on international climate change efforts?
3. Is Israel headed for new elections this summer?
4. Who is to blame for Germany’s dependence on Russian energy?
5. Can Ukraine win?
6. Does Lebanon need to accept an international aid package to rescue its economy?
7. How should the Taliban respond to Pakistan’s recent strikes against the TTP within Afghan territory?
8. Can AUKUS deter a possible Chinese attack on Taiwan?
9. How will the decline of Catholicism across Latin America affect the region’s politics?
10. Does King Abdullah of Jordan need to chart a new path for his country?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of April 18-24, 2022

On April 18, 2022