Tag: practice extemp topics Page 49 of 77

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

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1. Will the Ukrainian crisis spark a “gas war” in Europe?
2. Is Assad winning the Syrian civil war?
3. Does the resignation of Abdullah al-Thani further complicate Libya’s transition to a stable democracy?
4. Why did the Parti Quebecois suffer such a disastrous defeat in recent local elections?
5. Should the EU enact a boycott of Israeli goods?
6. Has the international community increased the effectiveness of its fight against AIDS?
7. Should Catalonia become independent?
8. Will Rafael Correa eventually decide to seek a fourth term?
9. How can the international community improve its response to outbreaks of ethnic violence and genocide?
10. Is Nigeria Africa’s superpower?

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

On April 14, 2014

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1. Is Bobby Jindal’s healthcare proposal a feasible alternative to the Affordable Care Act?
2. Did CBS make the wrong call in deciding to replace David Letterman with Stephen Colbert?
3. If Russia occupies Eastern Ukraine, how should the U.S. react?
4. Should Vance McAllister resign?
5. What is the best way for the federal government to oversee grazing on public lands in the West?
6. How will the U.S. government’s decision to deny a visa to Hamid Abutalebi impact its nuclear talks with Iran?
7. Does Kathleen Sebelius’s resignation improve the public relations dimension of the Affordable Care Act?
8. Is the “war on women” narrative still politically effective?
9. Should state be required to disclose the drugs used for lethal injection?
10. The Heartbleed virus: a significant security threat or a nuisance for businesses?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of April 7th-13th, 2014

On April 7, 2014

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1. The new jobs report: cause for celebration or source of anxiety about the status of America’s economic recovery?
2. Is Paul Ryan making a mistake by not including defense cuts in his budget proposal?
3. What steps can be taken to make higher education more affordable?
4. Does McCutcheon v. FEC devastate what remains of campaign finance law?
5. What is the best way to measure unemployment?
6. Should soldiers at military posts be armed?
7. Are state increases in the minimum wage helping or hindering Democratic prospects this November?
8. Should the U.S. permanently abandon efforts to broker a Middle East peace agreement?
9. Is Mark Warner’s Senate seat vulnerable?
10. Should General Motors compensate victims of “Switchgate”?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of April 7th-13th, 2014

On April 7, 2014

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1. Is the world experiencing a “population bomb”?
2. After local elections, should Francois Hollande move farther to the left?
3. Were the Afghan elections a success?
4. Are Kenya’s anti-terror operations exacerbating religious tensions?
5. Is the new clash between the West and Russia a global culture war instead of a new global Cold War?
6. Can Chile afford free education for all of its citizens?
7. Is Brazil’s pacification campaign of shanty towns in Rio creating more hardship for the city?
8. Are Pakistan’s blasphemy laws going too far?
9. Has Hungarian democracy eroded under Vicktor Orban?
10. Will the recent reduction of energy subsidies help the Iranian economy?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of March 31st-April 6th, 2014

On March 31, 2014

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1. What steps does Guinea need to take to control the spread of the Ebola virus?
2. Are the National Front’s gains in local French elections a sign of things to come?
3. How can Myanmar’s authorities sell the need for a national census?
4. Will crackdowns on social media solidify Erdogan’s political position in Turkey?
5. How can the international community capture Joseph Kony?
6. Should Pakistan send weapons to the Syrian rebels?
7. Will the Taliban’s attacks on Afghanistan’s electoral infrastructure backfire?
8. Is Libya exporting its unrest to other African nations?
9. Will a recently passed foreign investment law give a much needed boost to the Cuban economy?
10. Was Vitali Klitschko wise to drop his bid for the Ukrainian presidency?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of March 31st-April 6th, 2014

On March 31, 2014

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1. Will the Ukrainian crisis cause America to change its foreign policy toward Taiwan?
2. Has Chris Christie overcome “Bridgegate”?
3. Will Taco Bell’s decsion to serve breakfast help it gain market share?
4. Does the United States need a good relationship with the Vatican?
5. If it stands, how will the Chicago NLRB’s ruling that Northwestern’s football players can unionize impact collegiate athletics?
6. Is another “Dust Bowl” looming?
7. Will the arrest of Raymond Chow set back the American gun control movement for decades?
8. If you were a Republican moderate, how would you take back control of the party?
9. How should states handle tenure for teachers?
10. Is Texas’s 2013 abortion law constitutional?

HotTopics: United States Extemp Questions for the Week of March 24th-30th, 2014

On March 24, 2014

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1. Would a Hillary Clinton presidency disappoint Democratic liberals?
2. Will 2014 be the year that the U.S. housing market makes a complete recovery?
3. Is the liberalism of Millennial voters overstated?
4. How can Republicans win the Illinois gubernatorial election?
5. What steps can local school districts take to reduce a racial gap in discipline policies?
6. Is the U.S. prepared for another Cold War?
7. What impact will recent recalls have on General Motors recovery?
8. PACs: democratic benefit or impediment?
9. Can President Obama’s plan for an Energy Security Trust Fund successfully reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil?
10. Will affirmative action policies continue to pass judicial muster over the next decade?

HotTopics: International Extemp Questions for the Week of March 24th-30th, 2014

On March 24, 2014