Tag: practice extemp questions Page 53 of 82

On June 2, 2014

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1. Can the “chocolate king” sweeten Ukraine’s relations with Russia?
2. Would a victory by Oscar Ivan Zuluaga in the Colombian presidential runoff constitute a third term for Alvaro Uribe?
3. Who should become the next president of the European Commission?
4. Should Great Britain count prostitution and illegal drugs in its GDP calculations?
5. Can Mariano Rajoy’s proposed stimulus package rein in Spain’s high unemployment rate?
6. Can the Eurasian Economic Union become a significant rival to the EU?
7. Is another Tiananmen possible in today’s China?
8. What is the biggest challenge that Malawai president-elect Peter Mutharika will have to overcome in his first year in office?
9. Should the OSCE leave Ukraine?
10. Turkey to the EU: Has the dream died?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 26th-June 1st, 2014

On May 26, 2014

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1. Why has Mexico struggled to build sizable export industries?
2. Is the National Front poised to become France’s main opposition party?
3. Will more international involvement in Nigeria’s struggle against Boko Haram make the conflict worse?
4. Can the Somali military handle al-Shabab?
5. Is military action or negotiation the best way for Pakistan to deal with the Pakistani Taliban?
6. Can the Chilean economy support Michelle Bachelet’s policy program?
7. How will Russia’s new energy agreement with China affect the international sanctions levied against it?
8. Does Libya need a strongman?
9. What does Narendra Modi’s election mean for the future of Indian-Pakistani relations?
10. Will the recent coup in Thailand resolve the country’s political deadlock?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of May 26th-June 1st, 2014

On May 26, 2014

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1. Would the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act improve job training programs?
2. Will “coal politics” drag down Democratic candidates in the 2014 midterms?
3. What should be done to resolve New York City’s housing crunch?
4. Will a recent WTO ruling against China worsen America’s relations with the People’s Republic?
5. Which “blue” state is most likely to turn “red” by the next presidential election cycle?
6. Should school districts opt out of the National School Lunch Program?
7. Will Tennessee’s reversion to the electric chair as a form of capital punishment pass constitutional muster?
8. Has Colorado’s marijuana legalization effort been successful?
9. Is President Obama too reluctant to fire people in his administration?
10. Why did the Tea Party fail to defeat Mitch McConnell in the Kentucky Republican Senate primary?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of May 19th-25th, 2014

On May 19, 2014

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1. Is America’s foreign policy toward Iran working?
2. Was Nebraska’s Republican Senate primary a big win for the Tea Party?
3. How can Julian Castro use HUD to advance his political career?
4. Will new media mergers work against the interests of consumers?
5. Is Cornell William Brooks a great pick to lead the NAACP?
6. Should Americans have more faith in their political institutions?
7. Why is racial segregation increasing in America’s schools?
8. Is a left-right convergence possible in American politics?
9. Should the U.S. consider paving the interstates with solar panels?
10. If she decides to run, will Hillary Clinton’s age be a significant issue in the 2016 presidential election?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 19th-25th, 2014

On May 19, 2014

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1. Is the EU’s ruling against Google counterproductive?
2. Will the Syrian civil war be resolved by blood instead of words?
3. If Japan remilitarized, how would it affect its relationship with other nations in East Asia?
4. Will the Arctic become the next “great game” of the world’s major powers?
5. Should developing countries implement more regulations against big tobacco?
6. Is the EU responsible for recent political victories by the far-right?
7. Should FIFA move the 2022 from Qatar?
8. Is the political leadership in Israel and the Palestinian territories really interested in making peace with each other?
9. Why did Swiss voters reject the world’s highest minimum wage?
10. Will the landslide election of BJP produce greater economic growth?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 12th-18th, 2014

On May 12, 2014

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1. What accounts for the dysfunction in Thailand’s political system?
2. Will the result of the South African elections allow the ANC to pursue more business-friendly policies?
3. Why is polio becoming a growing international health concern?
4. Should Ecuador expand oil drilling in Yasuni National Park?
5. Did the IOC err in giving Brazil the 2016 Summer Olympics?
6. Can the UN help Vietnam in its territorial spat with China?
7. Will the EU’s foreign policy goal of ending capital punishment strain its relations with the United States?
8. In announcing plans to sell captured schoolgirls into slavery, did Abubakar Shekau harm Boko Haram’s cause?
9. Will the latest ceasefire in the South Sudanese civil war lead to a lasting political solution to the conflict?
10. Would partition benefit Ukraine?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of May 12th-18th, 2014

On May 12, 2014

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1. Should Eric Shinseki resign?
2. Is the VMT a better way for America’s infrastructure?
3. If requested, should the U.S. dispatch Special Forces to Nigeria to rescue schoolgirls from Boko Haram?
4. Has President Obama’s “Year of Action” helped the GOP’s 2014 fortunes?
5. What steps should U.S. universities take to better handle sexual assault cases?
6. “Hashtag diplomacy”: A useful tool or a sign of American foreign policy weakness?
7. What is the biggest risk to America’s economic recovery?
8. Is the Benghazi committee a waste of time?
9. Why are Rahm Emanuel’s re-election hopes in jeopardy?
10. Should Bill Clinton publicly apologize to Hillary over Lewinskygate?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of May 5th-12th, 2014

On May 5, 2014

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1. Should the U.S. extradite Fethullah Gullen?
2. Will Missouri Republicans succeed in their effort to impeach Jay Nixon?
3. Is John Kerry to blame for President Obama’s foreign policy difficulties?
4. Why is the labor force participation rate so low?
5. Is free speech under siege on American college campuses?
6. Will Rick Scott win re-election?
7. Would laws requiring “smart gun” technology violate the Second Amendment?
8. How can the U.S. close the “diversity gap” among teachers in public schools?
9. Should the ban on interstate tolls be lifted?
10. Will a recently botched execution in Oklahoma produce a successful legal challenge against the use of lethal injection?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of May 5th-12th, 2014

On May 5, 2014

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1. Has Evo Morales done enough to end discrimination against indigenous peoples?
2. Are Dilma Rousseff’s steps to bolster her re-election chances in October harming the Brazilian economy?
3. Will recent Iraqi elections finally bring some semblance of political stability?
4. How should Australia handle asylum seekers from Indonesia?
5. Can Narendra Modi fix India’s economic problems?
6. Will Joseph Kabila run for a thid term?
7. Are civilian courts best equipped to handle human rights violations by Mexican soldiers in the Mexican drug war?
8. Does Jacob Zuma deserve re-election?
9. Will the investigation into Gerry Adams reignite sectarian tensions in Northern Ireland?
10. Is climate change the defining international issue of the 21st century?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of April 28th-May 4th, 2014

On April 28, 2014

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1. What role should international organizations take to reduce the fighting in South Sudan?
2. Is Morgan Tsvangirai causing the weakening Zimbabwean opposition movement?
3. How can Russia establish a larger foothold in Latin America?
4. Have anti-Maduro protests run their course?
5. Who will win the Afghan presidential runoff?
6. How can South Korean President Park Geun-hye deflect criticism of her government’s handling of the Sewol ferry disaster?
7. Is the BRICS wall falling down?
8. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process: is the Oslo era nearing its ending?
9. Will the upcoming European elections make the UKIP a major force in British politics?
10. Is Saudi Arabia effectively responding to MERS?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of April 28th-May 4th, 2014

On April 28, 2014

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1. Has President Obama done enough to reassure America’s Asian allies?
2. Fracking: an environmental danger or the key to American energy independence?
3. Is campaign finance reform necessary to save American democracy?
4. Should mobile phone manufacturers be required to install “kill switches” on their products?
5. What’s behind Amazon’s poor profit numbers?
6. Will an upcoming push by LGBT groups for legal protections in Southern states succeed?
7. Should states be able to link a work requirement to Medicaid benefits?
8. What would be the best way to cut the U.S. defense budget?
9. Would a summer push for immigration reform by Republican leaders erode the GOP’s chances of winning the midterm elections?
10. What should the NBA do with Donald Sterling?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of April 21st-27th, 2014

On April 21, 2014

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1. Can the “grand bargain” save Detroit?
2. What steps should be taken to reduce the size of healthcare spending in the United States?
3. Should e-cigarettes be regulated the same way as tobacco products?
4. Do proposed reforms to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do enough to protect taxpayers?
5. Should Western states take control of federally owned lands?
6. What impact is the sequester having on American foreign policy?
7. Will President Obama’s foreign policy decisions imperil Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential aspirations?
8. Should the U.S. increase its foreign aid budget?
9. How should New York deal with gun owners who refused to register their assault weapons?
10. Is Sarah Palin still relevant?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of April 21st-27th, 2014

On April 21, 2014

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1. Should China’s Communist Party crack down on the corruption of old party leaders?
2. Why has Haiti been unable to stop its cholera epidemic?
3. Economically speaking, will the 21st century be the “African century”?
4. Should NATO make Georgia its newest member?
5. How should Twitter deal with the Turkish government?
6. Is Brazil ready to host the World Cup?
7. Will Hamdeen Sabbahi pose a significant challenge to Abdel Fattah al Sisi in the Egyptian presidential election?
8. Is al-Qaeda winning the war on terrorism?
9. Will Rob Ford win re-election?
10. Is Vladimir Putin a rational international actor?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of April 14th-20th, 2014

On April 14, 2014