Extemp Questions Q4 2015

These are pretty late, but I got kind of busy in the last quarter of 2015....

October 2015

• Is there still a risk that fighting will flare back to life in the Ukraine? 
• Does the Euro still face a long term existential threat? 
• Should the US impose a No-Fly Zone over Syria? 
• Should the US stop training moderate rebels in Syria? 
• Will Russia’s involvement in Syria prolong the chaos and violence there? 
• Would a Biden run hurt Bernie Sanders more than Hillary Clinton? 
• Will disarray among House Republicans have a negative effect on the Presidential primary? 
• Will Paul Ryan’s election as House Speaker unify Congressional Republicans?
• Can Paul Ryan’s election as House Speaker bring bipartisan compromise to Congress? 
• What does the change to China’s one-child policy mean to its long-term economic growth prospects? 
• Is the removal of President Assad a prerequisite for any solution to the conflict in Syria?

November

• Is a large-scale, long-term American military presence in Syria necessary? 
• Do Russian airstrikes in Syria undermine the fight against ISIS? 
• Will internal opposition derail the peace talks between the Colombian government and the FARC? 
• What does the future hold for nuclear power globally? 
• What is the future of nuclear power in America? 
• Does the election in Myanmar have a larger, regional significance? 
• What does a pro-democracy vote mean for the future of Myanmar? 
• Should the federal government do more to address the problem of homelessness? 
• Do the Paris attacks signal a resurgence in the capabilities of Al Qaeda to attack the West? 
• Is the killing of ‘Jihadi John’ mostly a public relations victory?
•  Does the ability of ISIS to attract foreign fighters make it a more significant threat than other terrorist groups? 
• Should the US treat more of the Internet as critical infrastructure for the purposes of national security? 
• Have western intelligence agencies significantly underestimated ISIS? 
• Can ISIS forces in Syria be defeated with a large influx of US troops? 
• Will the Paris attacks prompt a larger NATO military response to ISIL? 
• Have privacy advocates undermined the ability of intelligence agencies to effectively monitor terrorists’ communications? 
• Does cyber-crime pose a significant threat to economic development in Africa? 
• Does the US have sufficient security architecture in place to safely take in Syrian refugees? 
• Should the US immigration visa program have stronger security screening measures? How will the attitude of the West towards Syria change after the Paris attacks? Does the US Visa program pose a greater threat to security than accepting Syrian refugees? 

December

• Is a global carbon tax system needed to counteract climate change? 
• What effects will the Paris attacks have on the European economy? 
• Do the climate change controls emerging from Paris need stronger enforcement mechanisms? 
• Should the Muslim nations of the world do more to curb Islamic extremism? 
• Is Angela Merkel spending too much political capital on the current migration crisis? 
• Can America and France find common ground on a strategy for Syria? 
• Is sustained military action from NATO necessary to defeat ISIS in Syria? 
• Will the Kurds use the ongoing strife in Syria to try and establish an independent state? 
• Can the US and Russia cooperate in the fight against ISIS? 
• Does Vladimir Putin have a viable plan for Russia’s role in Syria? 
• What is needed to fix corruption in FIFA? 
• What does 2016 for the Spanish economy? 
• Will further arrests help restore international trust in FIFA? 
• What should South Africa do to curb its growing national debt? 
• Does the US clean power plan presented at Paris do enough to curb America’s carbon emissions? 
• Should a new international organization be formed to govern and manage on-line currencies such as bitcoin?