Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Extemp Questions 2017 February


  • Will the confirmation of Trump’s Supreme Court pick be stymied by Senate Democrats? 
  • Will separatist violence in Eastern Ukraine continue to escalate? 
  • Should EU nations provide military assistance to Ukraine? 
  • What effect will Trump’s immigration order have on the US economy? 
  • Do Trump Administration changes to US immigration policy create a significant risk of violent backlash internationally? 
  • Has the credibility of the Trump White House already been permanently damaged? 
  • Is an Israel-Palestine peace deal likely with the new US President? 
  • Will the UK Parliament delay Prime Minister Theresa May’s schedule for triggering Article 50? 
  • How should the Trump Administration respond to increased violence in Eastern Ukraine? 
  • How much longer will the migration deal between the EU and Turkey hold? 
  • Should the Cuban government make more of an effort to grow public broadband Internet deployment? 
  • Will France be the next to leave the EU? 
  • Would Marine Le Pen winning the French Presidency mean an end to the EU? 
  • Will the government of Myanmar be held liable for violence against its Rohingya Muslim population? 
  • Will ongoing political turmoil in South Korea encourage Kim Jong Un to take a more aggressive stance 
  • Does the way Trump’s travel ban was rolled out signal negatively for the competence of the new Administration to govern? 
  • Should Trump strengthen sanctions against Russia? 
  • Can new leadership bring corruption in Somalia under control? 
  • Should the international community pressure Saudi Arabia to drop its de facto blockade of Yemen? 
  • Is Taiwan too dependent on migrant labor? 
  • Should ethics regulators be paying more attention to the Trump family’s business dealings for possible conflicts of interest? 
  • Should Jacob Zuma resign? Would South Africa’s ANC be better off forcing Zuma to resign? 
  • Is the Standing Rock movement defeated? 
  • Will Trump’s unpredictability ultimately be good for America’s foreign policy? 
  • Will “sanctuary cities” stand against Trump’s executive orders despite threats to federal funding? 
  • Should the government of Myanmar be charged with crimes against humanity for attacks against its Rohingya minority population? 
  • Is the Senate headed for a big fight over the Gorsich confirmation? 
  • Will congressional Republicans start to pull their support for President Trump’s policy agenda? 
  • Will the Iran nuclear deal remain intact? 
  • Has the time come for Ukraine to fully join NATO? 
  • Should the Assad regime face ICC trial for war crimes? 
  • Is terrorism returning to Pakistan? Can Democrats organize an effective resistance to the Trump White House? 
  • Will China seek to fill the power vacuum left by the Trump Administration’s changes to America’s global leadership role? 
  • Is the NSC being sidelined in the Trump White House? 
  • Are American intelligence agencies facing a leadership crisis? 
  • Does the outcome of the Yemen raid signal a failure in high-level civilian leadership? 
  • Will continued expansion of Israeli settlements make a two-state solution impossible? 
  • What does Michael Flynn’s resignation mean for US relations with Russia? 
  • What has the Trump White House learned about governing from the fight over the travel ban? 
  • Is the Trump Administration's plan for economic growth being sidelined by administrative disorganization? 
  • What do the first few weeks signal about the Trump Administration's relationship with news media? 
  • Does the Trump Administration have a viable strategy for dealing with an increasingly aggressive North Korea? 
  • How much will public outcry really change the priorities of the current Congress? 
  • Will any ISIS members face ICC trial for atrocities against the Yazidi? 
  • Is the alt-right gaining legitimacy in normal political discourse? 
  • Can the White House and Congressional Republicans find common ground on immigration reform? 
  • Has the credibility of the Trump Administration already been permanently damaged? 
  • Do social media companies need to take more aggressive steps to curb the spread of fake news? 
  • Does President Trump’s continued use of Twitter undermine his credibility? 
  • Will China take further action to reign in North Korea? 
  • Are attitudes towards women changing in Saudi Arabia? 
  • Should the government of Malaysia distance itself from the North Korean regime? 
  • How much longer can Robert Mugabe lead Zimbabwe? 
  • Is there a viable alternative to Robert Mugabe’s leadership of Zimbabwe? 
  • Is the ceasefire in Syria on the brink of failure? 
  • Does the death of Kim Jong-Nam signal growing instability in the leadership of North Korea? 
  • Should America provider military support to Ukraine? 
  • Should federal funding for space exploration be increased? 
  • How should the Trump Administration respond to North Korean ballistic missile tests? 
  • Is America seeing the start of a Tea Party movement on the left? 
  • Is America’s national security infrastructure prepared for a war in cyberspace? 
  • Would moving the US embassy to Jerusalem have a detrimental effect on US allies across the Middle East? 
  • Would moving the US embassy to the Middle East make an Israel-Palestine peace deal more difficult? 
  • Should the US require that immigration applicants provide access to all social media accounts as part of security vetting? 
  • Will the Trump Administration take a firmer stance against Russian involvement in the Ukraine? 
  • Is the chance for an Israel-Palestine peace deal slipping away? 
  • Is Zimbabwe headed for another currency crisis? 
  • What do ongoing leaks signal about the relationship between the Trump Administration and America’s intelligence agencies? 
  • Does the NATO alliance face an existential threat in Trump? 
  • Is Marine Le Pen on track to win the French election? 
  • Will racial tensions in France continue to escalate? 
  • Can a Republican Congress be trusted to adequately investigate the Trump White House? 
  • Is the relationship between the government of Japan and the US military improving? 
  • Has Trump lost the authority to advocate for a free press around the globe? 
  • What repercussions will Flynn’s resignation have on the Trump Administration? 
  • Should term limits be imposed on Congress? 
  • How can Trump build support beyond his core base? 
  • How serious is the rift between the Trump White House and the intelligence community? 
  • Is it too soon for Trump to be back on the campaign trail? 
  • What should the government of Nigeria do to grow the economy? 
  • Does the recent spate of terrorism in Pakistan indicate a resurgence of the Taliban? 
  • Does the rise of nationalist movements pose an existential threat to the future of the EU? 
  • What happened to the honeymoon period for the Trump Administration? 
  • Is the Trump Administration being sidetracked from pressing its domestic agenda forward? 
  • When will the Trump Administration and Congress reach a consensus on tax reform? 
  • Do Trump Administration changes to immigration enforcement risk serious diplomatic conflict with Mexico? 
  • Does President Trump lack focus on move his legislative agenda forward in Congress? 
  • Are the White House criticisms of news media justified? 
  • Is it still possible for Trump to build a consensus government? 
  • Is a real Syrian peace still still fantasy? 
  • Should the US expedite Montenegro’s entrance into NATO? 
  • Can Angela Merkel hold the reins in Germany? 
  • Is Germany growing tired of Merkel’s leadership? 
  • Is the heyday of economic growth in Asia at an end? 
  • Does the widening income gap in South Korea pose a serious risk to political stability? 
  • Will the recapture of Mosul by government forces signal the beginning of the end for Daish in Iraq? 
  • Is it times for American drug policy to shift to a public health approach? 
  • Will lack of transparency be a lasting problem for the Trump Administration? 
  • Is the risk of a new showdown between the US and Iran increasing? 
  • Will South Africa move forward in withdrawing from the ICC? 
  • Is the new President of Somalia prepared to deal with the growing threat of regional famine? 
  • Is a major showdown coming between sanctuary cities and the federal government? 
  • What can Trump do to build trust and cooperation across the political aisle? 
  • What approach will President Trump take with DACA? 
  • Should immigration enforcement put more focus on employment verification? 
  • Would the use of local law enforcement for immigration enforcement improve public safety? 
  • Are nationalist movements in Europe gaining strength from Trump’s presidency? 
  • Is Congress ignoring the opioid addiction crisis? 
  • Will Brazil’s government pass necessary pension reforms? 
  • Is the global growth of renewable energy headed for a big surge? 
  • How much room does the Trump Administration have to improve on the Iran deal? 
  • Will the Trump Administration continue to disrupt American norms? 
  • Should American secondary education spend more time teaching students to identify fake news? 
  • How can the Democratic Party reconnect with the American people? 
  • Can the State Department build a bridge with Mexico across Trump’s border wall? 
  • Should the US nuclear arsenal be expanded? 
  • Is there a larger political implication for the UK from Brexit? 
  • What role will the Labour Party play in a post-Brexit Britain? 
  • Should the federal government do more to stop hate crimes? 
  • Is Trump’s fight with the press escalating to a breaking point? 
  • Will American foreign policy under Trump be able to effectively counteract Iran’s regional influence? 
  • Is the plan to repeal and replace Obamacare still a fantasy? 
  • Is the White House reacting to the news media inappropriately? 
  • Is an economic conflict between Russia and China brewing? 
  • Will the Chinese economy dominate in the 21’st century? 
  • Does Trump’s regular violation of political norms pose a risk to the future of the Republican Party?

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Extemp Questions 2017 January


  • Is Turkey the next major target for ISIS?
  • What should be the EU global strategy post Brexit?
  • Will Democrats in Congress seek to find common ground to work on with the Trump Administration?
  • Will the EU migration crisis see improvement in 2017?
  • What can be done to resolve Puerto Rico’s public debt crisis?
  • Should Therisa May push to trigger Article 50 sooner rather than later?
  • Is the UK ready for Brexit?
  • Will Russian intervention in the 2016 Presidential race impede the confirmation of Trump’s cabinet picks?
  • Will 2017 see the Brazilian economy start to recover?
  • Is China poised to take global leadership on green energy development?
  • Will the Chinese government face political consequences for failing to curb environmental pollution?
  • Will the post-Brexit UK dramatically reduce its foreign aid spending?
  • Will the government of Turkey start to pay a political price for ongoing terrorist violence?
  • Will the fight against ISIS drag Russia into an unwinnable quagmire?
  • Can the Trump administration negotiate a bipartisan deal to replace Obamacare?
  • Would a move to repeal Obamacare without a clear plan to replace it backfire on the Republican majority Congress?
  • Should the US be doing more internationally to support moderate Islam?
  • What consequences would the US face if its embassy was moved to Jerusalem?
  • Should Congressional Democrats put more focus onto potential conflicts of interest for Donald Trump’s appointees?
  • Should the US take a firm stand against Russian encroachment in South Ossetia?
  • Will Gambia have a peaceful transition of power?
  • What do the ideological differences between Trump and Congressional Republicans mean for the future of the GOP?
  • Should President Trump divest is business interests?
  • Will Trump be forced to take more steps to disentangle himself from his business interests?
  • Is reunification of Cyprus on the horizon?
  • Should Germany take steps to deter Russian interference in upcoming elections?
  • Will congressional Democrats gear up for a big fight over Trump’s Supreme Court pick?
  • Is Trump gearing up for a trade war with China early in his Presidency?
  • Will issues around Trumps business conflicts and ethics change how future Presidential campaigns are run?
  • Will President Trump be forced to take further steps to avoid business conflicts and ethics violations?
  • How steps should Donald Trump take to improve his relationship with US intelligence agencies?
  • How much have Prime Minister Modi’s demonetization policies hurt the Indian economy?
  • Will the government of Narendra Modi face political consequences for demonetization policies?
  • Does Donald Trump have a responsibility to do more to heal the partisan divide?
  • Should FBI Director James Comey resign?
  • Can the government of Brazil being gang related violence in prisons under control?
  • Will the decision to push for a clean break with the EU have negative consequences for the British economy?
  • Will trade imbalance mean the EU will have the upper hand in Brexit negotiations?
  • Will other African nations need to intervene to effect a transition of power in Gambia?
  • What does the future hold for labor unions under the Trump presidency?
  • What role will the UK Parliament play in BREXIT?
  • Will BREXIT trigger a new vote for Scottish independence?
  • Will liberal progressive groups unite as an anti-Trump movement?
  • What should be done to improve urban air quality in China?
  • Will the fight over the Dakota Access Pipeline escalate in 2017?
  • Is the Trump Administration lumbering towards a trade war with China?
  • Will the UK Parliament stop BREXIT?
  • How much will President Trump’s supporters hold him to campaign promises?
  • Will the US and Russia cooperate more in the war on terror under the new Trump Administration?
  • Is China edging towards an economic crisis?
  • Is North Korea gearing up to provoke an engagement with the new Trump Administration?
  • Will federal courts negate Trump’s executive order on immigration?
  • Is America headed towards a trade conflict with Mexico?
  • Will the relationship between the Trump Administration and the press continue to degrade?
  • Have political purges in the wake of the failed coup attempt critically weakened the Turkish military?
  • Will immigration policy changes in President Trump’s executive order cost America critical allies in the international war on terror?
  • Am I the only one who's got "Welcome to the Jungle" ominously playing in the back of my mind now?