Tag: topic brief Page 3 of 10

Canada’s Parliamentary Elections (2015)

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Last Monday, Canadian voters delivered a stunning victory to the Liberal Party, a result deemed unthinkable several weeks ago.  Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party lost its governing majority, losing sixty seats.  Meanwhile, the Liberals gained an amazing 148 seats due to the impressive campaigning of its young leader Justin Trudeau, the oldest son of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.  Observers noted that the Liberal victory was due to Canada’s faltering economy as well as perceptions that Harper’s government was inconsiderate toward the plight of Syrian refugees and neglectful of Canada’s proper place in global affairs.  A Trudeau-led government has promised to change Canada’s fiscal policy and reform the nation’s drug laws.  The Liberals are also poised to alter Canada’s foreign policy, especially with respect to environmental and security issues.  What is certain is that the Liberals will have to contend with a new Conservative Party, as Harper announced his resignation as party leader following the announcement of the election results.

This topic brief will provide a summary of the 2015 Canadian elections, discuss the top domestic and international priorities of the Trudeau government, and then analyze what Stephen Harper’s legacy as Canadian prime minister might be.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

A Third Intifada?

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October has been a bloody month in East Jerusalem.  Palestinian youth, responding to rumors that Israel is planning to take over the Temple Mount, revered as a holy site for Jews and Muslims, are clashing with Israeli security personnel and launching random, “lone wolf” attacks on Israeli civilians.  In response, the Israeli government has imposed movement controls and other preventative measures, but critics contend that this will serve to exacerbate tensions rather than produce a lasting solution.  Some experts contend that Palestinians are engaging in a third intifada, or uprising, and this would be the second time in two years that Palestinians are reacting violently against the Israeli government.  Frustrated at their political leadership, Israeli settlement expansion, and the lack of progress toward a two-state solution, it is believed that some Palestinians are responding through violence to bring greater international attention to their plight. 

This topic brief will explore the causes of the recent unrest between Palestinians and Israelis, explore Israeli responses, and then explain why it is unlikely that the causes of the violence will be solved in the near future.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

The American Gun Control Debate

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One of the most polarizing issues in America concerns the ability of citizens to purchase and own firearms.  Relative to other developed nations such as Great Britain, where handguns have been banned since 1996, the U.S. has a higher violent crime rate.  Advocates of gun control argue that by reducing the number of guns in circulation, or at least the number of those that are able to obtain them, that the U.S. could reduce lethal incidents of violence, but opponents of gun control argue that significant restrictions on gun ownership would violate the Second Amendment and empower criminals.  While remaining dormant for the last fifteen years, gun control has now become a hot political topic again, especially after a recent string of mass shootings over the last few years such as the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the murder of black churchgoers in Charleston this summer, and at Umpqua Community College in Oregon.  Democratic presidential candidates such as Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O’Malley have made the case for greater firearm restrictions, possibly setting up 2016 as a referendum on how America should handle gun control.  Furthermore, President Barack Obama is contemplating greater executive action on gun control, which could also shift the political balance for upcoming gubernatorial elections and congressional races in 2016.

This topic brief will provide extempers with some background information on the American gun control debate, analyze the recent proposals that have been raised for increasing gun control, and then explore the political impact of gun control on voter behavior.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

Russia’s Intervention in Syria

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Last week, Russian aircraft dropped bombs on Syrian rebel positions, inaugurating an escalation of Russia’s participation in Syria’s four-year civil war.  Russian President Vladimir Putin has calculated that it is in Russia’s geopolitical interest to preserve the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Russia’s bombing runs mark a potential turning point of the conflict.  Russia’s intervention could improve Assad’s position and force Western nations backing the Syrian rebels to temper their opposition to Assad’s role in a political transition.  In addition, Russia’s intervention is cloaked within the bounds of an ongoing war against the Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), reflecting how the Syrian Civil War has transformed from an attempt to overthrow Assad to a multi-faceted war where neither side looks good.  Although the West insists that Russia will fail in its intervention, extempers should be prepared to discuss this change in the Syrian Civil War at tournaments throughout the fall as it could have implications for the ongoing fight against ISIS, the ability of Syrian rebels to displace Assad, and Russia’s position in the Middle East vis-à-vis the United States.

This topic brief will discuss the reasons for Russian intervention in Syria, highlight what actions it has taken thus far to bolster Assad’s chances in the conflict, and analyze the risks inherent in a more direct Russian role in Syria.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

John Boehner’s Resignation

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Facing the threat of an insurgency from within his own ranks, Speaker of the House John Boehner shocked the nation’s political establishment on Friday by announcing his resignation from the speakership, as well as his House seat, effective October 30.  Although obtaining the top position in the House, which is third in line for the presidency, was a remarkable accomplishment for Boehner, he had come under fire from Tea Party conservatives in recent years for not taking a harder line against President Barack Obama’s agenda.  Conservatives grew irate that Boehner proved unable to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), was willing to broker continuing resolutions with the aid of substantial numbers of Democrats, and proved unwilling to risk another government shutdown over federal funding for Planned Parenthood.  He, along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, had become a punching bag for the Republican Party’s 2016 presidential candidates and Boehner began to feel as if he was becoming a distraction to the larger Republican agenda.  Consequently, Boehner is deciding to leave his high profile position in Washington, thereby helping Republicans avoid a bitter leadership battle that could have reduced the party’s ability to defend its congressional majorities next November.  Nevertheless, without Boehner substantial questions loom about whether his replacement will be able to form a good working relationship with the President and whether that individual will find it just as difficult to control an increasingly splintered caucus.

This topic brief will explain the likely reasons for Boehner’s decision to resign, profile the internal Republican battle to replace him, and then discuss how Boehner’s exit could affect the management of the federal government for the rest of President Obama’s tenure and the ongoing Republican presidential nominating contest.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

Nepal’s New Constitution

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Ever since 2006, Nepal’s political parties have attempted to reach an agreement on a new national constitution.  Divided over the role of religion in government, whether the nation’s 239-year-old monarchy should be restored, political boundaries, and the rights of ethnic minorities, the nation saw little movement on a lasting constitutional draft.  However, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in April literally shook the country’s major parties out of their prolonged gridlock.  On Sunday, supporters of a new constitution gathered in the capital of Kathmandu to celebrate, but reception across the country was mixed.  Ethnic minorities in Nepal allege that the constitution denies them adequate representation and women’s rights activists allege that the document rolls back some of the protections women enjoyed in previous governments.  Analysts agree that Nepal’s new constitution may give its federal authorities the ability to finally govern the country and fix the problems that ail one of the world’s poorest nations.  Nevertheless, if federal officials are not able to acquire adequate buy-in from the nation’s various ethnic groups, the chances of achieving lasting change are minimal.

This topic brief will provide some historical background on Nepal’s political intrigues leading up to the new constitution, break down the ways that the constitution will change Nepal, and then analyze arguments that have been made against the document and how that may usher in a new period of instability in one of South Asia’s most unstable states.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

The Right to Die Movement

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The last five years have seen an extension of rights in American society, notably for homosexual Americans that wish to get married and for transgendered individuals.  However, there is another rights movement that has been very active and is now beginning to win legislative victories.  The “right to die” movement, whose advocates say that patients who have terminal illness should be able to take their life with prescription medication at a time of their choosing, recently won a victory in California.  California state legislators approved the End of Life Option Act last week, which would enable Californians to obtain life-ending prescription medication from a doctor.  Currently, only four states allow for a form of physician-assisted suicide (also referred to as “physician-assisted dying”) – Oregon, Washington, Vermont, and Montana – but advocates of the “right to die” movement argue that a victory in California, which can be assured if Governor Jerry Brown signs the bill into law, could lead to other states passing similar legislation.

This topic brief will provide some basic information about the “right to die” movement, explain the reasons supporters give for why it should become a universal right, and then provide counterpoints from those who argue that “right to die” legislation constitutes a threat to basic human values.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

The Colombian-Venezuelan Border Crisis

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While concerns about border security have acquired significant attention in the United States and Europe, another border crisis has created upheaval in the Western Hemisphere.  Several weeks ago Venezuelan officials closed border crossings with Colombia, citing security concerns and a need to clamp down on smugglers in the area.  In addition to closing the border, Venezuela deported 1,000 economic migrants from Colombia and demolished some of their homes.  While Colombia argues that Venezuela’s behavior constitutes a gross human rights violation, Venezuelan authorities insist that they have the right to police their own border and that the inability of the Colombian government to share border responsibilities is what has forced it to act.

This topic brief will outline the scope of the recent border closures, explain some of the reasons that Venezuela moved to close the Colombian border, and then analyze how the border closures could affect Venezuela’s politics, as well as future American foreign policy in Latin America.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

Rising College Costs

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One of the biggest anxieties in American culture is the fear that the country is lacking a qualified workforce that will be economically competitive in the twenty-first century.  While politicians have primarily focused their efforts on fixing America’s elementary and secondary institutions, college might be the next frontier of state-driven education reform.  Less than thirty percent of Americans have a Bachelor’s degree and reformers note that part of the reason is the growing cost of college attendance.  Over the last fifty years, tuition costs have exploded at public and private institutions, as have housing and textbook charges.  While the number of Americans attending college is rising, graduation rates remain poor and student debt to service the cost of college is also increasing.  Fears about the growing cost of college and its impact on American social mobility and the nation’s economy have made college-oriented education reform a part of the 2016 presidential elections.  Candidates such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have detailed plans to either slow tuition increases, reduce student debt, and/or make college education more of a national entitlement.  Political analysts argue that a candidate with a suitable program to make college more affordable could galvanize the youth vote in 2016, something that politicians have learned can sway elections in the Obama years.

This topic brief will explain some of the anxieties about the rising cost of college, provide some reasons that college costs are growing, before finally exploring some of the reform proposals that have been submitted to resolve the problem.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

Greece’s Snap Election

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Last Thursday, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced that he was resigning.  Tsipras’s Syriza Party, which won the Greek parliamentary elections in January, was coming apart at the seams after Tsipras agreed with Greece’s creditors to enact more austerity reforms.  When the Greek Parliament had to approve of this deal last week, Tsipras was forced to rely on opposition parties as forty-three of Syriza’s 149 members either voted against the deal or abstained.  Following the vote, twenty-five Syriza members of Parliament (MPs) bolted from the party and this left it without a governing majority.  Unable to survive a censure motion and likely fearing that anti-bailout leftists would soon rally against his government, Tsipras resigned and paved the way for new elections next month.  The news of new elections was hesitantly received in some European capitals, with Paris and Berlin reminding Athens that it would be held to the terms of the new bailout deal regardless of who won power.  Nevertheless, financial markets have been roiled by another Greek election – the nation’s fifth in six years – out of fears that Syriza could lose or that the elections will slow down much needed economic reforms.

This topic brief will explore the factors that are behind the upcoming Greek election, discuss how the election is expected to proceed, and briefly analyze how the elections could create headaches for several members of the European Union (EU).

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

China’s Currency Devaluation

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If extempers followed global economic news over the past week, they probably remember that China’s currency devaluation was a significant topic.  On Tuesday, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) announced more market-friendly reforms that will allow the nation’s currency, called the renminbi (RMB) or the yuan, to be managed less arbitrarily.  The effect of this market-based move was a sudden decline in the value of the RMB, a currency that some market analysts argue has been overvalued for some time.  The 1.9% decline versus the American dollar last Tuesday was welcomed by some economists, who say that it will provide a valuable market correction, but China also came under fire from American politicians and Western economists, who allege that China’s devaluation is designed to help boost the nation’s ailing exports.  The move has provided ample fodder for Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump, who has made anti-China sentiment a large part of his campaign.  In addition, China’s devaluation may contribute to more deflationary pressures in Western economies and complicate the Federal Reserve’s decision about whether to raise interest rates by the end of the year.

This topic brief will discuss the steps that China has taken to devalue its currency, analyze the reasons why the Chinese government would encourage a currency devaluation, and highlight how China’s currency devaluation could affect the global economy.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

Donald Trump’s Presidential Candidacy

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Every few decades, there is a controversial personality that seeks the White House outside of the confines of conventional politics.  In 1912, former President Theodore Roosevelt sought the presidency on the Progressive Party ticket, splitting the Republican vote and enabling Democratic candidate Woodrow Wilson to move into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  In 1948, Strom Thurmond and Henry Wallace came close to preventing incumbent Harry Truman from winning the presidency as they sought the votes of Southern segregationists and progressive Democrats, respectively.  In 1968, Alabama Governor George Wallace ran on a states’ rights and “law and order” platform that carried five states and nearly fourteen percent of the national vote.  In 1992 and 1996, billionaire Ross Perot tapped into American frustrations over the economy to capture sizable percentages of the popular vote and arguably help Democrat Bill Clinton win those elections.  And in 2000, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader cost Democratic candidate Al Gore the presidency by taking away crucial votes in Florida.

Unlike these others campaigns, which were third party runs, billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy is taking place within the Republican Party.  Railing against American jobs moving abroad, big financial institutions, immigration, and “political correctness,” Trump has surged in the polls in recent months and his support is showing few signs of faltering.  His rise has befuddled political observers, who initially thought his popularity would be fleeting and that he did not have a significant chance of winning the Republican nomination.  Although critics bashed Trump’s recent performance in the Republican presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio, he has a devoted group of followers and some postulate that if Trump does not win the GOP presidential nomination that he might bolt and run as a third party candidate, something that would likely throw the election into the hands of the Democratic nominee.

This topic brief will discuss Trump’s rise in the polls and his positions, analyze his performance in the August 6 Republican debate, and then discuss some of the pitfalls that his candidacy could encounter in the coming months.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

Poaching & Global Wildlife Conservation

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Although environmental and animal rights activists have advocated for stronger anti-poaching efforts for the last several decades, their efforts never attracted sustained media attention outside of a few notable campaigns during the late 1980s and various periods throughout the 1990s.  This all changed with reports about the death of Cecil the Lion, a significant tourist attraction at Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park.  Cecil was killed several weeks ago by American dentist Walter J. Palmer of Minnesota, who is said to have paid $50,000 for the ability to hunt and kill an African lion.  The incident created a firestorm of international outrage, with people blasting Palmer on Twitter and many donating funds to wildlife and anti-poaching groups.  However, the question remains over whether the outrage over Cecil’s killing will be a turning point in terms of attention paid and resources diverted to strengthening global anti-poaching efforts and protecting threatened species.  Over the last fifteen years, African nations have struggled to maintain their existing wildlife and international controls on the ivory trade have weakened.  Fixing both problems will be necessary if poaching efforts can be curtailed and threatened species such as lions, elephants, rhinos, and tigers can be protected more effectively.

This topic brief will summarize the effects of poaching on threatened wildlife around the globe, steps that governments are taking to deal with the poaching problem, and then explain the impediments to making some of these anti-poaching plans work.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

Police Reform

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Since the shooting of eighteen-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri last August there have been growing calls for reforming police tactics in the United States.  Liberal and libertarian groups charge that American police have become “militarized” and much too aggressive.  These groups note that in addition to Brown, other unarmed suspects have died after interactions with police officials such as Freddie Gray in Baltimore and Eric Garner in New York City.  Protests that emerged from the deaths of these men and others sometimes degenerated into violence with Ferguson and Baltimore experiencing riots this season, thereby creating some of the worst civil unrest that America has seen since the late 1960s.  President Barack Obama and the Justice Department have investigated local police forces more diligently over the last six years and such investigations are likely to continue as an estimated 500 Americans have been killed by police officers this year.  Proponents of reform argue that police need to do a better job interacting with the communities they serve and that better training is needed for officers when they interact with young people, the mentally ill, and minority groups.  Opponents argue that an emphasis on community policing will create the re-emergence of a national crime wave, with some noting that a “Ferguson effect” is taking place where criminals are more empowered than ever before as police hold back for fear of criminal prosecution if they make a mistake.

This topic brief will explain the reasons given for police reforms, highlight some of the reforms that are ongoing in police departments throughout the country, and then analyze the impediments that exist to reform.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

Investigating FIFA

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On May 27, Swiss authorities arrested seven high ranking officials of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the world’s governing body for soccer.  The arrests were due to a United States investigation into bribery and corruption within the organization that federal prosecutors allege played a role in the awarding of television, licensing, and hosting rights to soccer competitions, notably the World Cup.  In addition to the United States investigation, Swiss officials are also examining how corruption may have influenced FIFA’s decision in 2010 to grant future World Cup competitions to Russia and Qatar.  Longtime FIFA President Sepp Blatter has already been forced to resign over the investigations and observers are likening the scandal to what the International Olympic Committee (IOC) dealt with in the late 1990s.  The ongoing investigation into FIFA should produce some momentum to reform the organization, while potentially producing geopolitical fallout if the organization revokes Russia and Qatar’s World Cup hosting rights.  The investigation will also be a test of how far the U.S. Justice Department can apply American law abroad.

This topic brief will summarize the ongoing investigations into FIFA, discuss what changes may take place within the organization in light of these investigations, and then analyze the geopolitical factors associated with the scandal.

Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.

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