- Can President Trump still deliver on North Korean denuclearization?
- What effect will ongoing tensions with Pakistan have on India’s upcoming elections?
- What should the international community do to deal with child soldiers as conflits end?
- Is the denuclearization of North Korea still a realistic goal?
- Is the sanctions regime against North Korea fraying?
- What does AMLO’s anti-poverty overhaul mean for the future of Mexico?
- What role should America play in Venezuela?
- What effect will President Trump’s border wall have on the humanitarian crisis on the US border?
- Will American intervention in Venezuela make the flood of migrants to the US border worse?
- How much does the America’s history in Latin America undercut efforts to remove Nicolas Maduro from power in Venezuela?
- Was President Trump’s second summit with Kim Jong-un a diplomatic failure?
- Was the collapse of the second Trump-Kim summit a de facto acceptance of North Korea as a nuclear power?
- What will the collapse of the second summit mean for the future of North Korean denuclearization?
- Does the US still have the leverage necessary to get a denuclearization deal with North Korea?
- What effect will the indictment of Bibi Netanyahu have on the upcoming Israeli elections?
- Will indictment sink Netanyahu’s chances for re-election?
- Can Netanyahu pull off another election win?
- What steps can the federal government take to ensure that American copies are adequately dealing with cybersecurity threats?
- How should Western countries deal with foreign-born ISIS brides and their families?
- Does additional delay make a No-Deal Brexit more likely?
- How much is the Trump Administration willing to sacrifice to strike a deal with the Afghan Taliban?
- Has Africa become too dangerous for aid workers fighting Ebola?
- What will Netanyahu’s indictment mean for the prospects of a Mideast peace plan?
- Is Jared Kushner a liability for the Trump Administration?
- How much leverage does the US still have in Venezuela?
- Is Algeria ready for new political leadership?
- Is China’s Belt and Road program a long-term blunder?
- Does Brexit still pose an existential risk to the European Union?
- Does the US need to develop a national strategy around artificial intelligence and machine learning?
- Can Speaker Pelosi keep the new class of House Democrats in line?
- Has the WTO outlived its usefulness?
- Can Facebook rebuild its reputation?
- Should expansion be a priority for NATO?
- Will the EU use Brexit as an impetus for a new round of expansion?
- Will the UK crash out of the EU without a deal?
- Will Brexit bring the troubles back to Ireland?
- How will Ireland change after Brexit?
- Will populism destroy the EU?
- What reforms will the FAA make to safety certification processes?
- Has the FAA lost the ability to remain objective and independent?
- What can be done to make the college admissions process for fair?
- Should the college admissions process and the criteria it uses face more government oversight?
- Should the DOJ put more focus on prosecuting white collar crimes?
- Is the yellow-vest movement in France losing momentum?
- What role should human rights play in trade discussions with China?
- What role should human rights play in future negotiations with North Korea?
- What’s next for nuclear talks between the US and North Korea?
- Can the Democrats avoid making the same mistakes in the 2020 election?
- What’s next for Venezuela?
- Should China’s slowing economic growth be seen as a serious risk for the global economy?
- Should the international community do more to pressure Saudi Arabia over its treatment of women’s rights activists?
- Will foreign born ISIS brides and their children be left stateless?
- Can Justin Trudeau still win re-election?
- Are fair elections in Thailand possible?
- Is China’s economy nearing its peak?
- Is the momentum behind the American economy starting to slow?
- Will President Trump’s proposed budget lead to another government shutdown over wall funding?
- Can the Ghandis wrest control from Modi in India’s upcoming election?
- Can real political reform be accomplished in Algeria?
- What does President Bouteflika’s decision not to run for re-election mean for the future of Algeria?
- Can anything be done to bring security and stability to Libya?
- Is the temporary appointment of many acting senior officials damaging the Trump Administration’s ability to govern effectively?
- Can the international community do more to control the applications for and use of CRISPR technology?
- Has the SNC-Lavalin scandal dealt a political deathblow to Canada’s Justin Trudeau?
- What will Britain’s relationship with the EU look like after Brexit?
- Has Theresa May’s brinkmanship over Brexit politically damaged the Conservative Party?
- Does anti-vaccine sentiment pose a serious threat to American public health?
- Has federal law enforcement overlooked the threat posed by far-right extremists?
- Is America adequately prepared for a real Cyberwar?
- What can be done to mitigate the risk of social media as a tool for radicalization?
- Will student protests over climate change result in any real environmental policy action?
- What will Netanyahu’s indictment mean for America’s relationship with Israel?
- Will the 2020 election see a generational changeover in the leadership of the Democratic Party?
- What steps should be taken to reform America’s system of privatized prisons?
- How long can Syria’s Assad dodge international accountability for his actions?
- Will the Varsity Blues scandal result in changes to college admissions processes?
- Will the transition of power in Kazakhstan result in societal instability?
- Is Afghanistan ready to look after its own security?
- What does the use of commercial genetic testing services by law enforcement to solve cold cases mean for the future of personal privacy?
- What should be done to clean up waste and human remains from Mount Everest?
- Is democracy in Israel on decline?
- Is America’s foreign policy in the Horn of Africa failing?
- Is China’s Belt and Road program a threat to Africa’s future?
- Are the nations in sub-Saharan Africa getting better at holding free and fair elections?
- Has anti-muslim sentiment become normalized in Australia?
- How big of a threat does ISIS still pose?
- Has the end of the Mueller investigation vindicated President Trump?
- Has America become irreconcilably divided along partisan political lines?
- Will President Trump’s renewed focus on repealing the ACA strengthen Democrats chances in 2020?
- What should the EU learn from Brexit?
- Should America’s top marginal tax rates be raised?
- Are cryptocurrencies poised to make a comeback?
- Is Macron the right person to lead Europe towards a more stable future?
- What’s next for Venezuela?
- Does his relationship with the Trump Administration damage Juan Guaido’s legitimacy with the Venezuelan public?
- Does Turkey face an imminent crisis with foreign debt?
- Will President Trump close the US border with Mexico?
- Does the Mueller Report open new opportunities to improve the relationship between the US and Russia?
- Has Donald Trump permanently changed the norms of the American presidency?
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Extemp Questions 2019 March
Thursday, March 21, 2019
NSDA 2019 March/April Topic— "Resolved: The illegal use of drugs ought to be treated as a matter of public health, not of criminal justice."
I was going to post the whole outline here, but I started it in Word and it's 9 pages and I don't feel like correcting the errors from the copy / paste, so here's the link to the PDF version:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19jvaERUAJjScm2FJYwACWgXoT_jqbGlW/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19jvaERUAJjScm2FJYwACWgXoT_jqbGlW/view?usp=sharing
Monday, March 18, 2019
NSDA 2019 April PFD Topic —"Resolved: The United Nations should grant India permanent membership on the Security Council."
As it happens, I was expecting to spend my entire day yesterday judging Congress and ended up spending on half a day there. So this left me with an unexpected half day free. Below is an outline / notes for the April Public Forum resolution. Time permitting, I'll do a similar set for the LD resolution in the next few days. The PDF document version of this can be found on Google Drive here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jwwXyp9z2LInqEIO1STi-2Mfki8_BIcn/view?usp=sharing
PUBLIC FORUM DEBATE (BEGINNING AND ADVANCED): NSDA 2019 April PFD Topic —"Resolved: The United Nations should grant India permanent membership on the Security Council."
General Questions:
1. When was India last a member of the Security Council?
a. Jan. 2011 to Jan 2013 was the most recent
b. Has been elected to the UNSC a total of seven times
2. How many and who are the current members of the Security Council?
a. 5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members who have two-year terms
b. Belgium, Ivory Coast, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Indonesia, Kuwait, Peru, Poland, South Africa and the 5 permanent members
3. How many and who are the current permanent members of the Security Council?
a. Five permanent members – China, France, Russia, UK, US
4. Are there UN member states who have never been part of the Security Council
a. “More than 60 United Nations Member States have never been Members of the Security Council.
5. When can UN members not on the Council get involved in issues that the UNSC take up?
a. “A State which is a Member of the United Nations but not of the Security Council may participate, without a vote, in its discussions when the Council considers that country's interests are affected. Both Members and non-members of the United Nations, if they are parties to a dispute being considered by the Council, may be invited to take part, without a vote, in the Council's discussions; the Council sets the conditions for participation by a non-member State.”
6. What would it take to make a change like the resolution to the membership of the UNSC?
a. Would require and amendment to the UN charter
b. “Any reform of the Security Council would require the agreement of at least two-thirds of UN member states in a vote in the General Assembly, and must be ratified by two thirds of Member States. All of the permanent members of the UNSC (which have veto rights) must also agree.”
7. What new obligations and rights would be gained by a member state if it became a permanent member?
a. No real answer here, it depends on the details of how the charter would be amended. It could be that a new permanent member gets veto power, but maybe not. The charter itself doesn’t talk about “rights” of permanent or temporary UNSC members. While it describes certain powers (e.g. veto) to permanent members, the language of the charter deals more with “responsibilities"
c. See also Chapter 6 Article 33, 34, etc. - http://www.un.org/en/sections/un-charter/chapter-vi/index.html
d. See also Chapter 7, Article 39, etc. - http://www.un.org/en/sections/un-charter/chapter-vii/index.html
8. On what basis were the current permanent members granted that status?
a. They were the major powers and allied victors at the end of WWII and were involved in pushing for the adoption of the UN charter. There wasn’t any set of objective criteria used for their selection.
9. How are the non-permanent members of the UNSC selected?
a. Vote in the general assembly quotas by geographical region
Aff/Pro
1. The G4 (Brazil, Germany, Japan, India) are all seeking permanent membership on the UNSC as part of more comprehensive reforms of the UN
a. The G4 proposal would actually expand the UNSC to 25 permanent members
b. Currently, no South Asian nations are represented as permanent members of the UNSC (for that matter, neither is Africa or South America or the Middle East)
2. India’s claims to justify permanent status
a. Second largest population
b. Largest (by population) liberal democracy
c. Seventh largest economy
d. Third-largest contributor of troops to UN peacekeeping missions
e.
3. Expansion of the UNSC would better allow the UN to meet new and emerging challenges to international peace and security
4. The only significant reforms to the UNSC since it was chartered was in 1965 – to expand non-permanent seats from six to ten.
5. Five members do not adequately address the world. Particularly when the full 15 member set are often not representative of areas of concern around the globe.
6. Member states support expansion
a. The problem lies in coming up with a unified text of the necessary charter amendment in order to being negotiation.
7. The idea of expanding the UNSC to include the G4 as permanent members is supported by the UK, France, US and Russia
8. India’s position on expansion of the UNSC (as of 2011 statement)
a. The UNSC should have representation by members closer to the areas of its attention. “in the months of January and February 2011, more than 70% of the Council's meetings were on African issues and in terms of the amount of time spent, more than 90% of the Council’s attention was focused on African issues. And yet there is no single permanent member from Africa!”
b. Representation on the UNSC is limited and too restricted. “in the instance of the Latin American region, all slots have been filled up for the Council’s elected seats till 2034 and so there are no further opportunities.”
c. “For the record, let me also reiterate that the overwhelming majority of UN member-states have expressed their clear preference for expansion of the Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories.”
9. Failing to address necessary reforms will weaken the UN in the face of modern challenges
a. India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj at the UN: "Step by slow step, the importance, influence, respect and value of this institution is beginning to ebb... The United Nations must accept that it needs fundamental reform. Reform cannot be cosmetic. We need to change the institution's head and heart to make both compatible to contemporary reality. Reform must begin today; tomorrow could be too late. If the UN is ineffective, the whole concept of multilateralism will collapse. India does not believe that the United Nations should become the instrument of a few at the cost the many."
10. China is using its permanent status as a way to keep India under thumb and assert its superiority in the region.
11. Under the current structure the UNSC has lost the ability to act in a timely manner, which harms its effectiveness, which damages its credibility and legitimacy.
a. As recently as the week of Mar. 10, the UN has reported on killings in the DR Congo from the previous December and warned that “new waves” of killings may be forthcoming. There is a weak call for state intervention, but no plan to force any such intervention or to do anything beyond monitoring and probing the killings.
12. India has been elected to the UNSC seven times, most recently with a significant number of votes. Permanent membership would formalize its status. It might also make sense to add all of the G4 countries
a. https://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/india-wins-unsc-seat-with-highest-votes-in-5-yrs_661197.html
b. “As of 2013, the current P5 members of the Security Council, along with the G4, account for eight of the world's ten largest defense budgets, according to SIPRI. They also account for 9 of the 10 largest economies by both nominal GDP and Purchasing Power Parity GDP.”
13. Need to put a deadline on current open-ended discussions to get an actual decision instead of just the de facto “no” of constant delays and talks with no progress
a. “Daniel Drezner (professor at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and blogger): Right after the US moves its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem: it has been promised for decades by presidential candidates but never comes to fruition. Ten years would be a really optimistic estimate.”
b. Plus, we just moved the embassy to Jerusalem, so I guess, it’s time?
14. Chapter I, Article 1 of the UN Charter says that the first primary purpose of the UN is “To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace”
a. Would affirmation of the resolution do this? Yes. It expands representation, giving the UNSC more legitimacy, it provides a venue to address areas of concern in a more timely manner and it recognizes the growing importance of India as well as the growing interdependence of nations around the world. Both in terms of economic interests as well as security and peace interests. So should we affirm? Yes.
15. Some questions to ask the aff
a. If the UNSC is broken, what about it is broken and how would adding India as a permanent member fix it?
b. Are there any objective criteria that we could use to determine who should have membership and permanent membership on the UNSC? Would GDP be a measure? Population? Contributions to the UN? Should it include nations with nuclear weapons? Or some combination of these criteria? Or no objective criteria at all?
i. And if there’s no objective criteria, I nominate Tahiti as the only permanent member because they have nice beaches.
c. Do the reforms to the UNSC need to include more than just adding India? More than just adding the G4? More regional representation in Africa and the Middle East? What about revisions to who has veto power?
d. Would affirmation make the conflict over Kashmir worse? If not, how would the Pakistani’s be placated?
e. If India contributes significantly to UN efforts including peacekeeping, what would be the real consequences of NOT giving them a permanent seat on the UNSC?
f. How important is membership (not necessarily permanent membership) on the UNS for the purposes of maintaining international peace and security? For example, Switzerland didn’t even join the UN until 2002 but they’re not out starting wars. If more than 60 UN member states have never been part of the UNSC, let alone a permanent member, how critical is permanent membership to being able to maintain peace?
g. Why is expansion of the USNC better than other alternatives, for example, heavier reliance on regional arrangements/organizations under Article 52 of the UN Charter (e.g. reliance on the African Union to resolve disputes in Africa)?
Neg / con
1. TLDR – if it an’t broke, don’t fix it.
a. The composition of the UNSC was set in 1945 and has changed very little while the overall geopolitical landscape has changed significantly. Still the UNSC remains the top body for international peace and conflict resolution.
2. No text for the necessary amendment exists which is necessary to even being negotiations about expansion of the UNSC. Members don’t yet have anything near a consensus about the terms of such an amendment – how many permanent seats to add, who to add, what other reforms (e.g. ending the veto power of permanent members) should be included.
a. It might be possible to push forward on smaller, more limited change like just adding the G4 countries, but then you could easily lose the support of other UN members that would be left out.
c. There’s no large-scale consensus on the details of reforms to the UNSC.
3. China opposes reforms to the UNSC. Sometimes publicly, though more often they publicly express neutrality and negligence rather than opposition.
a. More specifically, China’s position is that they don’t want to “rush” a vote on any such changes / reforms. They say it will damage the interests of developing countries,
b. Expansion and reforms should wait until a significant consensus on the details can be reached.
c. China calls for UNSC reforms to increase the representation of developing countries because they make up more than two-thirds of UN member states
4. If we go with expansion of the UNSC to include all G4 countries there is historical mistrust – Germany in Europe, Japan in Asia, corruption in Brazil, conflict between India and Pakistan, that make it difficult to gain regional support and global consensus.
5. Even India has effectively given up on its demands in more recent times. India’s demands to be included as a permanent member of the UNSC have largely been ignored with no real consequences (e.g. removing Indian peacekeeping forces)
6. Too much diplomatic effort to change the charter
a. Negroponte: I think we should keep the number of seats at 15 but have more permanent members. But it would take a significant amount of diplomatic effort to modify the charter.
c. It’s way too difficult to find a consensus on who to add and what to change
i. Drezner: Brazil and Japan, and the EU should have one seat. No African or Mid-East country is a really obvious candidate -- no one state or supranational organization possesses the requisite power.
ii. Graham Allison (Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School): If you are trying to make the Security Council reflective of the world we live in today, it should include at least India, but also a state from Africa (Nigeria or South Africa), and one from South America, most likely Brazil.
iii. Andrew Bacevich ( Professor of International Relations and History, Boston University): Who should? India, Germany, Japan, Brazil. Who will? None of them.
7. The UNSC is becoming less relevant anyway. While reforms and expansion might help stave that off, that’s not a sure thing and could just as easily lead to gridlock within the UNSC and General Assembly and make it less relevant
a. Drezner: I'm not sure about its [overall effectiveness] going forward. It can move along well on issues like terrorism but will underwhelm on issues that infringe on national sovereignty: separatist movements, democracy promotion, etc.
b. Bacevich: The UNSC matters -- it just doesn't matter all that much.
c. Thomas Pickering (Chairman, Board of Directors, American Academy of Diplomacy, and former U.S. Ambassador): The danger is that the Council becomes too large and irrelevant that way.
8. Let’s assume the UNSC is broken, then we need larger scale reforms than just adding India (or even adding the G4) as permanent members.
a. These should include the following five reforms
i. membership categories,
ii. veto powers of the five permanent members,
iii. regional representation,
iv. the size of an enlarged UNSC and it’s working methods
v. the relationship between the General Assembly and the UNSC.
9. Under Chapter 8 (e.g. Article 52) and other portions of the UN Charter, there are provisions to rely on regional organizations to resolve conflicts which are better suited to deal with conflicts than the larger UN body. These groups inherently have a stronger interest in peaceful resolution of conflicts within their region than would an expanded UNSC, and are better positioned to respond in a timely and effective manner. While the UN should reserve the power and responsibility to step in should need arise, the resolution asks us to take preemptive steps to expand the UNSC in order to address the mere possibility of ineffective regional organizations. Such steps are unwarranted.
10. Adding India to the Security Council would give it international cover for human rights abuses against minorities (such as Muslims) much in the same way that China’s status on the UNSC gives it international cover for its human right abuses against minorities (e.g. Muslims, Uyghurs)
a. China is “in a league of its own” for human rights violations
b. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/mar/13/china-human-rights-violations-mike-pompeo
d. While the US says that it ‘may’ use sanctions against China and leaders it believes are responsible for human rights violations, it hasn’t done so yet. And (see below) Secretary of State Pompeo’s statement is to the effect that the US will ignore human rights if it’s in the interests of the US.
f. So what does the US actually do about it? Mike Pompeo complains, but it’s not a significant part of trade negotiations, there are no UN or US sanctions. Basically the US just ‘calls them out’ on it. In part because of trade and in part because China has a permanent seat on the UNSC. In fact, Pompeo says the US (or Trump Administration at least) will work with anybody regardless of their human rights records as long as it’s in America’s interest. Putting India on the UNSC would put India in the same position as China – able to violate human rights with no real consequence on the international stage.
h. Indeed, as recently as the week of March 10, China is delaying UN sanctions that India wants against militant groups and their leaders. China is cracking down on it’s own Muslim population while giving cover to Pakistani-based terrorists.
k. And they can get away with it because they have a permanent seat on the UNSC – and the veto that comes with it. Giving India similar leverage will provide India with international cover to violate human rights. Something they’re already doing.
q. So if you want to give India cover for more human rights violations in Kashmir, then yeah, go ahead and affirm the resolution
11. Questions to ask the negative
a. What is the primary objective of the UNSC?
i. The UN was chartered with four major objectives
1. Maintain international peace and security
2. Develop friendly relations among nations
3. Cooperate on solving international problems
4. Be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations
ii. The UNSC was chartered to address the first of these
b. Yemen, Venezuela, Kashmir, Syria, Central Africa, Gaza and the West Bank. How effective has the UNSC been recently at maintaining international peace and security?
c. Why does it make sense for the more active areas of conflict around the world not to have representation on the premier body for maintaining international peace and security?
i. E.g. Middle East, Central Africa, Kashmir, Latin America
d. The five current permanent members (US, UK, France, China, Russia) are all nuclear powers. Doesn’t it make sense that membership be expanded to include the newer nuclear powers in order to minimize the risk of a conflict escalating towards nuclear deployment?
Change Log
rpalmeira 2019.03.17 v1a – minor corrections to spelling and grammar
Saturday, March 2, 2019
Extemp Questions 2019 Feb
- Will the way the government shutdown ended eat away at President Trump’s political base?
- Are protesters a real threat to the rule of Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir?
- What are the chances for a peaceful transition of power in Venezuela?
- Can growing international pressure achieve regime change in Venezuela?
- Can the Congress Party win back power from the BJP in India?
- Is the anti-vaccine movement a significant public health threat to America?
- Can Congress find a compromise solution for border security?
- Does America have the clout to act as an honest broker in Venezuela?
- Should Theresa May move to delay Brexit?
- Is the UK headed for a no-deal Brexit?
- Can Theresa May build enough support to get her Brexit deal passed?
- Can the President and Congressional Democrats learn to compromise with each other?
- Is Jared Kushner a liability for the Trump White House?
- Would a third-party run by Howard Schultz help or hurt President’s Trump’s re-election bid in 2020?
- Is it time for Congress to review and revise the 2001 AUMF?
- Is American withdrawal from the INF treaty a mistake?
- Has the Trump Administration been successful at bringing manufacturing jobs back to America?
- Can coal still make a comeback?
- Does the US walking away from the INF treaty make the world less safe?
- Are deradicalization programs an effective tool to use against Nigeria’s Boko Haram militants?
- Is the gap between the American intelligence community and the Trump White House a serious threat to national security?
- Can Juan Guaido win over the support of Venezuela’s military leaders?
- Will US lawsuits against Huawei make a trade deal with China impossible?
- Can regime change bring an end to economic hyperinflation in Venezuela?
- Is the UK ready to leave the EU?
- Is Donald Trump permanently changing the American Presidency?
- What does the trial of El Chapo signal about the status of America’s war on drugs?
- Is it too late for President Trump to build bipartisan cooperation in Congress?
- Is US policy towards North Korea headed in the right direction?
- Will President Trump get a good deal from his second North Korea summit?
- What role should America play in the Northern Triangle region?
- Will threats from the President stave off further investigations into the Trump and his allies in Congress?
- Does the US military rely too heavily on Special Forces soldiers?
- What does American withdrawal from the INF mean for the future of international arms control?
- What can Theresa May do to break through the deadlock over Brexit?
- Will Brexit incite a new call for independence in Scotland?
- Will the Democrats’ Green New Deal get real consideration in Congress?
- Will the Trump Administration be able to strike a good deal with China?
- What consequences will Purdue Pharma face for the role of OxyContin in the opioid epidemic?
- Should the Trump Administration hold off on plans to lift regulations on the payday loan industry?
- Has the American public become immune to lies from President Trump?
- Is the BDS movement gaining ground in Congress?
- Will US pressure keep Europe from sidestepping sanctions against Iran?
- Has the hollowing out of the State Department under Rex Tillerson started to turn around?
- What can be done to calm the rising tensions between India and Pakistan?
- Will the issue of the Irish backstop force a No-Deal Brexit?
- How much damage will Brexit do to the Irish peace process?
- Will the issue of Catalan independence bring snap elections in Spain?
- Can a minimum basic income work in America?
- Can Europe keep the JCPOA deal with Iran alive?
- What is needed to break through the stalemate over Venezuela’s Presidency?
- How much of Robert Mueller’s final report should be made public?
- Is consumer debt a looming crisis for the American economy?
- Is support for Israel becoming a partisan issue in American politics?
- Should America do more to counter growing anti-semitism around the world?
- Will the JCPOA deal with Iran outlast the Trump Administration?
- Is the denuclearization of North Korea still a feasible goal?
- Will President Trump face a serious primary election challenge in 2020?
- Will the Senate vote to cancel the President’s emergency declaration?
- How much worse off will the UK be because of Brexit?
- Is the US selling out the Afghan government to the Taliban?
- Will declaring a national emergency add delay to actual construction of President Trump’s border wall?
- Are House Democrats pushing the national party too far to the left?
- Has the American public become desensitized to mass shootings?
- Is Australia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru improving?
- Is declaring a national emergency a sign of political weakness from President Trump?
- How much have investigations into sexual misconduct by clergy damaged the standing of churches in America?
- How much have sexual abuse scandals damaged the Catholic church around the world?
- Will Virginia’s Gov. Northam be forced to resign?
- Should NASA’s funding be expanded?
- Has the movement started in the wake of the Parkland shooting managed to sustain the moment it originally had?
- Has the Arab Spring made conditions across the Middle East worse?
- Has the US Congress reached its limit with Saudi Arabia?
- Has the leadership of MBS been bad for Saudi Arabia?
- Has the Trump Administration pushed Iran closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon?
- What consequences will the death of the INF treaty have for the rest of the world?
- Does Canada’s Justin Trudeau face real political problems ahead of upcoming elections?
- What does the conviction of El Chapo mean for America’s war on drugs?
- Can Mexico’s President Lopez-Obrador find a way to fight the war on drugs more successfully?
- What can be done to counter the growing trend of crackdowns on press freedoms around the world?
- Can new violence in Kashmir be prevented from spiraling out of control?
- Is there a rising antisemitism among the new left?
- What should America’s role be in Venezuela?
- What’s next for Haiti?
- Is a new humanitarian crisis brewing in Haiti?
- Should Temporary Protected Status be extended for Haitians in the US?
- Have sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church reached a major turning point?
- Can President Trump get a real agreement towards denuclearization out of Kim Jong-un?
- Has the President overstepped in declaring a national emergency to build a border wall?
- Can President Trump rely on the economy to keep up his political base of support through the 2020 election?
- Will court battles over wall funding help President Trump keep the support of his base?
- What effects would a No-Deal Brexit have on the global economy?
- Should foreign-born ISIS brides be allowed to return to their countries of origin?
- How long will the effects of the government shutdown linger on the American economy?
- Can Imran Khan do more to stop Pakistani terrorism in Kashmir?
- Can Bernie Sanders win the Democratic nomination for 2020?
- What steps should Congress take to crack down on employers who hire undocumented workers?
- Does China’s military build-up in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to international stability and security?
- Can the Catholic Church be trusted to reform itself?
- What should the US be willing to give up for a real denuclearization deal with North Korea?
- Is international acceptance of North Korea as a nuclear power inevitable?
- Should federal law enforcement dedicate more resources to combating right-wing extremism?
- Can anything be done to curb public corruption in Iraq?
- Should the US treat climate change as a national security threat?
- How long can Maduro hold onto power in Venezuela?
- Is there still room for negotiation between Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and Juan Guaido?
- Should the west cut ties with Saudi Arabia?
- What does the surge of public school teacher strikes signal about the future of public education in America?
- Can William Barr as Attorney General maintain the DOJ’s independence from the White House?
- Will the expansion of Executive Power under President Trump last beyond his tenure in office?
- Should the DOD be doing more to remove white supremacists and far-right extremists from active military ranks?
- How much worse will the crisis in Venezuela get?
- Will the second summit with Kim Jong-un do anything of substance to advance the denuclearization of North Korea?
- What will it take to get Venezuela’s military leaders to flip on Nicolas Maduro?
- Will the end of the INF treaty lead to a modernization of international arms control?
- How big of a factor will Huawei be in a US-China trade deal?
- Can diplomatic pressure from the international community force Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir to step down?
- What will public protests against Omar al-Bashir in Sudan realistically accomplish?
- Can a new currency stabilize Zimbabwe’s economy?
- Has the Islamic States ideology gained a solid foothold in Africa?
- Is Africa poised to become the next major front in the fight against Islamic extremism?
- Should foreign ISIS fighters be allowed to return to their home countries?
- Will the territorial defeat of ISIS mean a return to insurgent terrorist strategies?
- Is Germany still a force for stability across Europe?
- Has real progress been made in resolving the trade conflict between the US and China?
- What further steps should Congress take to resolve problems if redlining in America’s housing markets?
- Will sex abuse scandals define the tenure of Pope Francis?
- Is Netanyahu pushing Israeli politics too far to the right?
- Is American wage growth getting back on track?
- Is America’s labor market starting to lose steam?
- What steps should the Modi government take to improve the long-term economic growth prospects for India?
- What role should the US play in Kashmir?
- What can the international community do to calm tensions between India and Pakistan?
- Should Congress take action to reform the US patent system for pharmaceuticals?
- Will Congress do more to hold Trump Administration officials for the family separation policy at the border?
- What actions should Congress take to reduce prescription drug prices?
- Should the Trump Administration do more to counteract Russian interference in European elections?
- What should be done to better prepare the American economy for increases in automation technology?
- Will the rise of populism be good for Europe in the long run?
- Is Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party becoming populist?
- Can the UK’s Labour Party force a second Brexit referendum?
- Should the non-medical use of antibiotics be restricted?
- Will commercial space travel reinvigorate NASA?
- What should be done to counter rising antisemitism in Europe?
- Will President Trump deliver on his campaign promise to drain the swamp?
- Will corruption and conflicts of interest by senior administration officials damage President Trump’s re-election bid in 2020?
- How much does successful North Korean denuclearization depend on US-China trade talks?
- Is the US running out of options for how to deal with Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro?
- Has America’s recognition of Juan Guaido made the situation in Venezuela worse?
- How far is the US willing to go to remove Nicolas Maduro from power?
- Does North Korea still pose a nuclear threat?
- Are tensions between India and Pakistan spiraling out of control?
- Will the resignation of Iran’s Foreign Minister lead to the end of the JCPOA deal?
- What steps should elite American universities take to better address the needs of students from low-income backgrounds?
- Does China’s growing movie industry pose a threat to America’s cultural influence around the world?
- Should Brexit be delayed?
- Has Michael Cohen’s testimony before Congress exposed the President to new areas of liability?
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