Extemp Questions July / Aug 2013

July • Has the Arab Spring failed to materialize real progress? • Do race relations still pose an area of conflict in American politics? • Should senate rules be modified to override filibusters by simple majority vote? • Will comprehensive immigration reform come out of Congress this year? • Will European unemployment continue to rise? • Has the Tea Party turned the Republican Party into an ineffective political organization? • Does American trade policy need more protectionist measures to balance trade deficits with Asia? • Will the LDP return to power in Japan’s Diet?? • How will Venezuela change after the death of Hugo Chavez? August • How can America create more middle class jobs? • Is the class divide in the US greater than the racial divide? • Will Egypt fall into military dictatorship? • Can President Obama meet his second term economic objectives? • Has BP failed in in it’s response to the gulf oil spill? • Does the conviction and sentencing of Bradley Manning set a significant precedent for journalists? • (alternative) what significance does the decision in the Bradley Manning case have for journalists? • Are free and fair elections in Zimbabwe possible? • Does the conviction of Silvio Berlusconi signal a new era for Italian politics? • Should the US continue drone strikes in Pakistan’s territory? • Is a sense of personal shame missing in American politics? • Are the chances for a Middle East peace deal better or worse today than previously? • What is needed to release Zimbabwe from the control of the Zanu-PF party? • Will an Iran under the leadership of new President Rouhani be more open to negotiate on matters of nuclear development? • Is Iran ready to be serious about nuclear negotiations? • Should the US withhold military aid to Egypt? • Should America take any reactive steps to Russia’s grant of asylum to Edward Snowden? • Will Republicans in Congress and President Obama come to a budget agreement? • Has the Obama Administration done enough to shape the public debate between privacy and security in American intelligence policy? • has the Japanese government done enough to clean up after Fukushima? • What are the prospects of Congress passing immigration reform in the upcoming session> • What does growing nationalist sentiment mean for Japanese policymakers? • Will continued violence lead to another political revolution in Egypt? • Should American foreign policy towards Egypt change? • Should the US cut off aid to Egypt? • How should the world react to Syria’s possible use of chemical weapons? • Will the release of former Egyptian President Mubarak help stabilize the embattled nation? • Should the US use stronger diplomatic leverage to block Iran from continued nuclear development? • Hae BP and Halliburton been held properly accountable for the Deep Water Horizon oil spill? • Should the US take military action in Syria?