1. How would a political revolution in Lebanon affect Israeli-Syrian relations?
2. What steps can Saudi Arabia take to increase its control of global oil markets?
3. Has the COVID-19 pandemic hurt global populist movements?
4. Are global arms control agreements collapsing?
5. Is it in Russia’s best interests to have close ties with Iran?
6. Will Duterte get to change the Filipino constitution?
7. Is Israel emerging as a peacemaker in the Middle East?
8. How should global investors view Zimbabwe’s recent agreement to compensate evicted white farmers?
9. Is the democratic status of various Latin American states on the decline?
10. What values should be at the core of the EU’s foreign policy?
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1. Should local governments use digital surveillance tools to control the spread of COVID-19?
2. How many Senate seats will Democrats gain this November?
3. Does President Trump’s recent payroll tax cut proposal threaten the viability of Social Security and Medicare?
4. If President Trump loses in November, who will assume the mantle as leader of the Republican Party?
5. Will an increase in the use of homeschooling in America be one of the long-term impacts of COVID-19?
6. Is the Department of Homeland Security becoming a rogue agency?
7. Are the Trump administration’s concerns about TikTok valid?
8. Will COVID-19 get worse during the winter?
9. Should the U.S. draw down its forces in South Korea?
10. Could New York’s efforts to dissolve the NRA provide a boost for the GOP this November?
1. Can greater regional cooperation help the U.S. become less reliant on Chinese supplies?
2. Will Susan Collins win re-election?
3. Should the Republican National Convention be open to the press?
4. Is Joe Biden’s lead over President Trump in election polls artificially high?
5. Should all American schools start the year with distance learning?
6. Is “Big Tech” a threat to Internet freedom?
7. What should be included in the next COVID stimulus bill?
8. Is U.S. foreign policy overmilitarized?
9. Will police reforms in major cities trigger a new crime wave?
10. Should California voters approve Proposition 16 this fall?
Welcome back for the 2020-2021 season (in whatever form it takes). Check back here every Monday for free IX and USX questions and feel free to make a donation if you find them helpful. We will also be doing some adjustments to our state champions and past champions pages, so if you have results that are not listed, feel free to send them our way.
1. Will “vaccine nationalism” make it harder to combat COVID nationally?
2. Does Brazil have fires in the Amazon under control?
3. Is Tanzania’s economy growing as fast as its government claims?
4. How can Italy make itself more business friendly?
5. Is the UAE’s nuclear power plant a threat to peace in the Middle East?
6. How quickly might the global economy recover post-COVID?
7. Is India becoming the next global coronavirus hotspot?
8. Will Alexander Lukashenko lose Belarus’ presidential election?
9. Is Russia fast-tracking a COVID vaccine too quickly?
10. Has Buhari’s war against Boko Haram failed?
Note: These will be the last questions of the 2020-2021 competitive year.
1. Is Libya’s civil war drawing to a close?
2. Can “land for peace” still work to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
3. Is herd immunity the only way for the world to handle COVID-19?
4. Who will be the next leader of the Canadian Conservative Party?
5. Is the IMF poorly positioned to help emerging markets handle the effects of the coronavirus?
6. Will COVID-19 wreck the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative?
7. Is Brazil losing its battle against COVID-19?
8. How can Nigeria wipe out Boko Haram?
9. Is China winning its propaganda battle over the coronavirus?
10. Would a withdrawal of the U.S. from the WHO be a major blow to the organization?
Note: These will be the last extemp questions of the 2020-2021 competitive year.
1. Should American cities defund their police departments?
2. Have Minneapolis prosecutors overcharged the cops involved in the death of George Floyd?
3. Should the Republican Party contemplate replacing President Trump as its presidential candidate?
4. Can SpaceX succeed in launching a Mars mission by 2022?
5. Is the U.S. spiraling out of control?
6. Would reforming the collective bargaining rights of police unions have negative affects on other public sector unions?
7. Is it possible to significantly decouple the U.S. economy from China?
8. Will more states legalize marijuana and/or adopt legalized forms of gambling to overcome the financial hardships of the coronavirus?
9. Is America foreign policy overmilitarized?
10. If Joe Biden wins the 2020 presidential election, what should he do on his first day in office?
1. Is looting a legitimate form of protest?
2. How can cities do a better job policing the police?
3. Will the recent urban protests create a second COVID wave?
4. How will growing urban unrest affect the 2020 presidential election?
5. Should all American students be required to wear masks in schools in the upcoming 2020-2021 academic year?
6. Are U.S. pension plans at an even greater risk than they were during the Great Recession?
7. Has SpaceX’s recent success ushered in the era of private space exploration?
8. Will the George Floyd case undermine Amy Klobuchar’s vice-presidential hopes?
9. Has the COVID lockdown fueled protests in American cities more than the death of George Floyd?
10. Does the U.S. need an Internet Bill of Rights?
1. Has Europe mishandled its coronavirus bailouts?
2. Should AMLO embrace renewable energy?
3. Will Argentina’s recent debt default trigger another economic collapse?
4. Could border tensions between India and China grow into something much bigger?
5. Have Western universities become too reliant on attracting foreign students?
6. Who has the majority in Malaysia’s government?
7. Has Libya become the new Syria?
8. Looking back, was it wise of Great Britain to let go of Hong Kong?
9. Should African governments continue hiring mercenaries?
10. Have economic problems in Brazil darkened Latin America’s economic outlook on the whole?
This week’s questions come from my former coach Steve Meadows, who is now the executive director of the Kentucky High School Speech League (KHSSL).
1. How has New Zealand changed a year after the Christchurch attacks?
2. Hong Kong’s protests seem forgotten by the world. Problem solved?
3. Australian bushfires: the exception or the rule for a world undergoing climate change?
4. What’s the solution to prevent violence in Mexican cities?
5. How should Lebanon handle its financial woes?
6. Will the Saudi royal family retain power or fall to its own corruption?
7. Should Scottish independence seekers try again or will their dreams be kilt?
8. Will Germany thrive or dive post-Merkel?
9. Is Hungary hungry for a real democracy?
10. Irish reunification – a dream, a nightmare, or a woke response to 21st century realities?
Some of this week’s questions come from former old coach Steve Meadows, who is now the executive director of the Kentucky High School Speech League (KHSSL).
1. Are social distancing policies no longer politically feasible?
2. Is Amy Klobuchar a good vice-presidential pick?
3. It’s Report Card Day: Grade the Fed for its handling of the coronavirus impact to the U.S. economy.
4. It’s Report Card Day: Grade the current U.S. Supreme Court.
5. It’s Report Card Day: Grade Representative Tulsi Gabbard.
6. French immigration policies – should American say oui to their approaches?
7. Problem: American elections seem no safer from foreign interference. Solution?
8. Problem: Despite promises made, tax cuts have not trickled down past the wealthy. Solution?
9. Problem: America’s infrastructure is aging. Solution?
10. Problem: Republicans want to win where President Trump is unpopular. Solution?
1. Has the President’s embrace of Twitter over press conferences hurt U.S. democracy?
2. How should Americans manage their money as the coronavirus attacks the stock market?
3. Are biorefineries growing as a solution to American energy needs?
4. Is it time for William Barr to step down?
5. Months later, did the impeachment of President Trump matter?
6. Why are socialists seen as unelectable by much of the American population?
7. Did Elizabeth Warren have an electability problem?
8. Why do evangelicals stand with President Trump?
9. Are recent interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve a good idea?
10. Is the Space Force a waste of money?
1. Will India’s treatment of its Muslim population leave the nation stranded in the second world?
2. Why has South Korea been praised for its coronavirus response when other nations have not?
3. Are African countries embracing China at their own peril?
4. How can the Ivory Coast ensure a peaceful transition of power in October?
5. Is the peace agreement in Afghanitan good for the people of Afghanistan?
6. In hindsight, did Australia manage its fires well?
7. How can North Korea realistically enter the world around it?
8. Is Pakistan next in line for an “Arab Spring”-type of social protest?
9. Will the coronavirus kill Thailand’s struggling economy?
10. Are Japanese gender norms holding back its economic growth?
1. Will a recent failed invasion against Nicolas Maduro further strengthen his hold over Venezuela?
2. Is Argentina headed for another debt default?
3. Will border disputes between India and China grow in the near future?
4. Can Benjamin Netanyahu form a unity government?
5. Is the sharp decline in global oil prices doing major damage to Nigeria’s economy?
6. Should Taiwan be able to attend the recent WHO summit on the coronavirus?
7. Is China waiting too long to create an economic stimulus?
8. How can the European Central Bank keep credit flowing within the common market?
9. Should Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro be given control of the Rio police?
10. Is ISIS once again becoming a threat to Iraq?
1. How should Joe Biden use former President Obama as part of his election campaign?
2. If a coronavirus vaccine is developed, should all students attending public schools be required to get it in order to attend?
3. How should the Supreme Court rule in Trump v. Vance?
4. Should the Biden campaign try to win over moderate Republicans or should it prioritize courting African-American and younger voters?
5. Will the next U.S. president have to raise taxes?
6. Is justice moving too slowly in the Ahmaud Arbery case?
7. If colleges are still teaching online in 2020-2021, should they reduce tuition costs?
8. Should states make moves to outlaw the “gig economy”?
9. How can the U.S. increase is ability to test for the coronavirus?
10. Should cities establish rent freezes until the coronavirus passes?
1. Should the U.S. economy move away from a service-oriented model?
2. Could sexual harrassment allegations cost Joe Biden the presidency?
3. Will taxes rise after the coronavirus passes?
4. Could school reformers benefit from a federal aid package to the states?
5. Is “telemedicine” the future of American healthcare?
6. Does the federal government need to pass another stimulus to help working Americans?
7. Is federalism hurting America’s response to the coronavirus pandemic?
8. How can state authorities enforce social distancing measures in light to growing protests?
9. What will college education look like for the 2020-2021 academic year?
10. Is it constitutional to require citizens to wear masks in public?