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?
Category: International Extemp Page 9 of 57
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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
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?
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
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?
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?
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
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?
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
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?
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
1. How should the British government respond to the slaying of David Amess?
2. What can Japan do to increase foreign investment in its economy?
3. Is the power of popular culture, rather than military force, the key to resolving tensions on the Korean peninsula?
4. Should Israel cease its policy of assassinating enemies?
5. Is Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system crippling the country?
6. Do Latin American economies need more or less protectionism?
7. Have European governments moved away from fossil fuels too quickly?
8. Is Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro guilty of crimes against humanity in the Amazon?
9. Will cultural crackdowns help or hinder the power of China’s Communist Party?
10. Who was the biggest winner of the recent Iraqi elections?
1. What does the rise of Eric Zemmour say about the state of French politics?
2. Will China’s increased military pressure on Taiwan backfire?
3. What will be the Taliban’s biggest difficulties in governing Afghanistan?
4. Will international pressure force the Ethiopian government to alter its policies toward Tigray?
5. Is India’s economy too reliant on agriculture?
6. Will rising oil prices be a boon for the world’s developing economies?
7. How would a Polish exit affect the European Union?
8. Will the Pandora Papers have a sizeable geopolitical impact?
9. Is the Franco-Greek defense pact a threat to Turkey?
10. To what degree does the global economy remain hobbled by the COVID-19 pandemic?
1. Will Merck’s COVID pill help ease the impact COVID-19 has had on the developing world?
2. How will President Duterte’s retirement affect the future of Filipino politics?
3. Will it ever be in China’s interest to launch a military attack on Taiwan?
4. Did Japan’s LDP pick the wrong leader?
5. What does the German election result mean for Europe’s future?
6. If Kim Yo-jong took power in North Korea, would it have a negative impact on East Asian security?
7. Would Russian mercenaries do a better job combating jihadism in Mali than French forces?
8. Should Australia prioritize AUKUS over a free trade deal with the EU?
9. Is Brazil the unquestioned superpower of Latin America?
10. Does Vietnam’s economy need more diversification?
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 German elections. The Social Democratic Party (SPD) won the largest number of seats, picking up fifty-three in the Bundestag for a total of 206. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) alliance came in second, losing fifty seats for a total of 196. It is expected that the SPD will coalition with the Green Party and the Free Democrats, returning it to power for the first time since 2005.
The victory of the Social Democratic Party in Germany’s election has raised questions over whether center-left parties across Europe could make a comeback.
Here’s a look at the factors that will influence whether a revival is possible.https://t.co/63NBoyTFb9
— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 29, 2021
Olaf Scholz has some big shoes to fill.
The German Finance Minister has the best shot at forming a new German government after leading his Social Democratic Party to a narrow victory in Sunday’s parliamentary elections. https://t.co/wVQ2Cli6P0
— CNN International (@cnni) September 27, 2021
Olaf Scholz of Germany’s Social Democratic party says he wants to form a coalition with the Green and Free Democratic parties to tackle climate change https://t.co/vOXhJEGZxa
— New Scientist (@newscientist) September 29, 2021