Extemp Questions 2018 January

• Can the Trump Administration do more to improve the relationship between law enforcement agencies and local communities?
• Is the passage of a clean DACA bill a political impossibility?
• How can online political discourse break past partisan barriers?
• Is it time for the federal government ot decriminalize the use of marijuana?
• Is Liberia still at risk of falling back into political crisis and civil war?
• Is an infrastructure deal passing through Congress still possible this year?
• What should a new Trump deal with Iran look like?
• Is the Trump Administration headed towards military action against with North Korea?
• Will public protests in Iran lead to any lasting reforms?
• Will public protests in Iran escalate the conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia?
• Can Congressional Democrats still make deals with President Trump?
• Should the DOJ put a higher priority on combating domestic terrorism by white nationalists?
• Will legalization of marijuana at the state level continue to grow?
• Is it time for Laurent Kabila to step down from leadership of the DR Congo?
• Is President Trump ceding too much international influence to China?
• Is China properly upholding UN sanctions against North Korea?
• Will Jacob Zuma face impeachment?
• How is the economy faring for America’s middle class under President Trump?
• Should the Egyptian government do more to protect Christians targeted in terrorist attacks?
• Can House and Senate Republicans agree on a 2018 legislative agenda?
• Will Trump Administration cuts to foreign aid make the world a more dangerous place for Americans?
• Are the Olympics Games a real chance for a thaw in the relationship between North and South Korea?
• Is the partnership between Steve Bannon and President Trump at an end?
• Does Rouhani still have the support of the Iranian people?
• Will President Trump walk away from the Iran nuclear deal?
• Should the federal government be doing more to address sea level rise in America’s coastal cities?
• Will Trump Administration cts to aid change Pakistan’s behavior for the better?
• Do ongoing business interests pose a conflict of interest for the Trump White House?
• Should Congress be doing more to prevent Russian interference in upcoming elections?
• Has Betsy DeVos poven her competency on the job as Secretary of Education?
• Has Kim Jong Un been successful at driving a wedge between South Korea and the US?
• Should NCAA players be paid?
• Does President Trump’s Twitter hurt America’s credibility with international allies?
• Is the Department of Justice becoming an overly partisan political tool?
• Is the federal government headed for another shutdown?
• Has the GOP learned how to govern effectively?
• Will US cuts to aid to Pakistan hurt American regional interests?
• Should Americans be concerned with President Trump’s mental fitness?
• Is the Trump Administration being driven closer to the establishment wing of the GOP?
• Is President Trump damaging the international credibility of the United States?
• Does North Korean participation in the Olympic Games open up a real opportunity for diplomatic progress?
• Has President Trump’s involvement made it more difficult to find a DACA solution?
• Do Congressional Republicans have a unified legislative agenda for 2018?
• Does Steve Bannon still have a role in the future of the Republican Party?
• Is it time for a change of leadership in the Democratic Party?
• Will Congress pass additional funding to combat the opioid epidemic?
• Can Angela Merkel forma working coalition government?
• Can President Trump negotiate a better nuclear deal with Iran?
• Will Trump unilaterally pull the US from the JCPOA deal with Iran?
• Is Donald Trump doing lasting damage to the Office of the President of the United States?
• Is America still seen as the shining city on the hill?
• Will America’s global credibility survive the Trump Presidency?
• Has the Islamic State gained a solid foothold in the Philippines?
• Do Turkish attacks against Kurdish forces in Syria pose a serious threat to the future of NATO?
• Is US policy with regards to Syria pusing Turkey closer to NATO?
• Is Prime Minister Abe doing enough to grow Japan’s economy?
• Is economic reform in Tunisia impossible?
• Are UN aid agencies being stretched beyond their breaking point?
• What should be done to stop the economic fall of Venezuela?
• Should American universities more strictly control the activities of Greek life?
• Will the Republican Party face significant backlash from Puerto Rican voters in the 2018 midterm elections?
• Should the Australian government provide more support for Muslim refugees?
• Will more States pass laws allowing the recreational use of marijuana?
• Is the US prepared to defend against North Korean missile attacks?
• Has mixed messaging undercut the Trump Administration’s ability to govern effectively?
• Should the international community do more to protect press freedoms in the Philippines?
• Is further violence against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar inevitable?
• Will the Trump Administration pull US support for Kurdish forces in Syria?
• Is the relationship between the US and Pakistan headed in the wrong direction?
• How long will the US need to maintain a military presence in Syria?
• What does the future hold for Syria’s President Assad?
• Is Sudan headed for another major social, economic and political collapse?
• Will the diplomatic thaw between North and South Korea last beyond the Olympic Games?
• Is the Trump White House normalizing bad behavior?
• How much credit does President Trump deserve for the strength of America’s economy?
• Will the US stock market continue to rise?
• Is Chinese economic growth built on bad debt?
• Will the repatriation of Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar lead to any real government reforms?
• Has America lost the ability to successfully exert moral leadership around the world?
• Is Alexei Navalny still a major threat to Putin’s control of Russia?
• Can Angela Merkel keep Germany’s economy on track?
• Is the conflict in Eastern Ukraine escalating?
• Does the US need a single-payer, public option for healthcare?

Extemp Questions 2017 Dec

• How much will the GOP tax plan deepen the problem of income inequality?
• Can Russia negotiate a lasting peace for Syria?
• Will Congress be able to avoid a government shutdown?
• Will Congress change the way it deals with accusations of sexual harassment?
• Will the political fight over the leadership of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau backfire against the Trump Administration?
• Is Rex Tillerson on the way out?
• How quickly can Saudi Arabia diversify and reinvigorate its economy?
• Should the federal government do more to encourage Americans to increase their recycling?
• Can Syria find a permanent peace if Assad remains inpower?
• Will the indictment of Michael Flynn force a political showdown between Congress and the Trump Administration?
• Has the Republican Party lost the moral authority to speak on family values?
• Has the Democratic Party dropped the ball on mobilizing opposition to the GOP tax plan?
• Does Prince Harry’s engagement modernize the Royal family to the British public?
• Should Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies face international financial regulation?
• How should the Trump Administration respond to continued North Korean weapons tests?
• Will China do more to rein in North Korea?
• Should the federal government do more to clean up lead in the water of American cities?
• What more should California do to address the growing problems of homelessness?
• Can the international community find a way to clean up space debris in Earth orbit?
• Can President Uhuru Kenyatta find a way to unite the Kenyan people?
• Wll political discord in Kenya result in new rounds of violence?
• Is the Trump White House waging a war on the First Amendment?
• What will it take for politicians accused of sexual harassment and assault to face the same consequences as leaders in the private sector?
• Can the special relationship between the US and the UK survive the Trump Administration?
• Does the Republican Party still have a long-term problem with national demographic changes?
• Will the GOP tax bill be good for Republicans to run on in 2018?
• What more can Congress do to protect Americans from cyber-attack?
• Can the international community hold the Syrian regime accountable for war crimes?
• Is the West in decline on the global stage?
• Is China prepared to take on a larger geopolitical role?
• Is America repeating the mistakes that caused the financial crisis of 2008?
• Can Theresa May’s government work out a mutually agreeable Brexit deal with the EU?
• Should the UK cancel President Trump’s planned state visit?
• Is America headed towards preemptive war against North Korea?
• Is General Flynn’s indictment the beginning of the end of the Mueller investigation?
• Will the Republican tax bill cost the GOP in the 2018 midterm elections?
• Has the Republican Party lost its credibility on fiscal conservatism?
• How much will the GOP tax plan help the American middle class?
• Is Robert Mueller’s investigation an existential threat to the Trump White House?
• Will the GOP tax cut boost the wages of America’s workers?
• Is the Trump Administration pushing the Iranian public to support political hardliners?
• Should the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election put more focus on the national security threat of future Russian interference?
• Should primary and secondary education in America include more training on media literacy?
• Has the Trump Administration made a Mideast peace deal less likely to happen?
• Is Trump Administration policy creating a power vacuum in the Middle East?
• Has Saudi Arabia overplayed its hand across the region?
• Is Russia’s growing influence in the Middle East a threat to long-term US national interest in the region?
• Will the Venezuelan government’s purge of the PDVSA make the economic and humanitarian crisis worse?
• Should the national Democratic Party put more resources into winning seats in the deep south?
• Could Donald Trump function politically without Twitter?
• Is the bubble in the cryptocurrency market ready to burst?
• Can the Department of Justice do more to crack down on police overreach and abuse?
• Has Donald Trump’s presidency destroyed the integrity of the Republican Party?
• Is there an upside in President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel?
• Was the International Olympic Committee’s penalty against Russia too severe?
• Why do Republicans believe that an unpopular tax plan will be a winning political strategy?
• Should America respond more aggressively to continued North Korean weapons tests?
• Is the Trump Administration doing long-term damage to the effectiveness of the State Department?
• Is President Trump giving license to America’s white supremacists?
• Will Roy Moore be a political albatross around the neck of the GOP in the 2018 midterm elections?
• Do President Trump’s temperament and instability pose a significant risk to long-term US national interest abroad?
• Should the US do more to help Iraq build a functional government?
• Will Robert Mueller’s investigation expand into the personal finances of President Trump and his family?
• Was the International Olympic Committee's punishment against Russia for it’s state-sponsored doping program appropriate?
• Is President Trump’s continued use of a Twitter a political mistake?
• What more should the international community do to clean up plastics from the world’s oceans?
• Is it still possible for American voters to overcome political tribalism?
• Is Europe overly dependent on Russian oil?
• Will the special relationship between the US and the UK survive the Presidency of Donald Trump?
• Is the “gig economy” the future of American labor?
• What measures should the international community take to push for a resolution of the ongoing Rohingya crisis?
• Is Russia’s growing influence in the middle east a serious threat to US interests in the region?
• Can the Russian government do more to combat the spread of AIDS?
• Will the upcoming Catalan elections provide a boost to the independence movement?
• Will electoral corruption in Honduras lead to protectracted violence?
• Will President Trump’s decision to recognize Palestine as the Israeli capital add to regional instability?
• What effect will moving the US embassy to Jerusalem have on the Israeli-Palestine peace process?
• How much international backlash will the US face for its recognition of Palestine as the capital of Israel?
• Can anyone mount a viable political opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia?
• Can Saudi Arabia stave off looming financial problems?
• Can Saudi Arabia successfully diversify its economy amidst growing regional instability?
• How will the independence movement affect the economy of Catalonia?
• Should the Fed raise interest rates?
• Will Doug Jones’ election in Alabama change how the Trump legislative agenda is pushed in Congress?
• Is America giving Vladimir Putin too much credit as a strategic mastermind?
• Is lack of diversity a problem for the Trump White House?
• Is Congressional Republican support of the Trump Administration waning?
• Can anything be done to solve government corruption in South Africa?
• Can Theresa May still make a good Brexit deal?
• Will the momentum behind the #MeToo movement translate into lasting change around workplace sexual harassment?
• Is President Trump beginning to lose the support Evangelical voters?
• How much does President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital strengthen the regional influence of Hamas?
• Can President Trump politically afford to keep playing to his base instead of reaching across the aisle?
• Should political campaigning on the Internet be more tightly regulated?
• How much will the Republican tax plan grow the US economy?
• What can be done to strengthen Americans’ trust in government?
• Is the Russian public beginning to show fatigue over ongoing military engagement in Syria?
• Will President Trump fire Robert Mueller?
• How will the Trump Administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel change America’s relationship with its Arab allies?
• Will new leadership be able to grow the South African economy?
• What role will America play in future Israel-Palestine peace talks?
• Should Congress put a higher priority on rebuilding America’s aging infrastructure?
• What does President Trump’s new security strategy mean for America’s changing role in the global community?
• Will the Trump Administration do more to directly address the opioid epidemic?
• Is the idea of international diplomacy in danger under the Presidency of Donald Trump?
• Can the national Democratic Party sustain their electoral wave through the 2018 midterms?
• Is the Trump White House on a collision course with Robert Mueller’s investigation?
• Is the Trump Administration doing lasting damage to core American democratic institutions?
• Has the chance for Rex Tillerson to be an effective Secretary of State passed?
• What long term effects is the Trump Administration having on the American judiciary?
• Are Congressional Republicans becoming more willing to openly oppose President Trump?
• Have Republicans given up the ability to run as the party of fiscal responsibility?
• Will the new tax law be a political win for the GOP in 2018?
• What would it take to overcome political polarization in Congress?
• Is public support for South Africa’s ANC party falling away?
• Has the international community lost the opportunity to intervene in Myanmar on behalf of the Rohingya?
• Has the federal government failed the people of Puerto Rico?
• Does the mass exodus after hurricane Maria pose a long-term existential threat to the health of Puerto Rico’s economy?
• Is it still possible to get a DACA deal through Congress before March?
• Can infrastructure spending be a basis for bipartisan compromise in 2018?
• Is an anti-Trump message a winning political startegy for Democrats to run on in the 2018 midterms?
• Is President Rouhani getting Iran’s economy back on the right track?
• Are Iran’s political hardliners gaining ground?
• Will staff changes to the EPA under Scott Pruitt do lasting damage to the agency’s effectiveness?
• What will American cuts to UN funding mean for US national security interests abroad?
• Has President Trump had a successful first year in office?
• Does Obamacare face an existential threat in the passage of the GOP tax law?
• Does China’s shadow banking system pose a significant risk to sustained economic growth?
• Will Russian voters heed Alexi Navalny’s call for an electoral boycott?
• Will President Trump make further cuts to foreign aid spending?
• Is President Trump throwing away America’s international influence?
• Is the Trump Administration changing international geopolitical norms?
• What does the recent rash of North Korean defections signal about the conditions within the rogue nation?
• Can new leadership of the ANC root out government corruption in South Africa?
• Has the federal government held a double standard with hurricane relief for Puerto Rico?
• Will the Trump Administration face political consequences for the handling of disaster relief for Puerto Rico?
• Can anything be done to bring lasting peace to South Sudan?
• What should the independence movement in Catalonia hope to accomplish in 2018?
• What can the international community do to get the Cholera outbreak in Yemen under control?
• Is an escalation of force against Houthi rebels in Yemen necessary?
• Is government corruption in Brazil an impossible problem to solve?
• Is Russia preparing to escalate the violence in Eastern Ukraine?
• Is a bipartisan compromise on healthcare still possible?
• Will middle class Americans really see the benefits of the new tax law?
• Has the Mueller investigation become irreparably tainted?
• Will the pardoning of Alberto Fujimori have political consequences for the current leadership in Peru?
• Is there hope for peace between the Ukrainian government an pro-Russian separatists in 2018?
• Are increased sanctions making any headway on reining in the North Korean weapons programs?
• Can the Mueller investigation be relied on to carry out their work objectively and effectively?
• Has the regulatory enforcement capability of the EPA been critically damaged under the Trump Administration?
• Can the Democratic Party develop a unifying message for 2018 beyond being anti-Trump?
• Does the national Democratic Party need new leadership?
• What can the GOP do to win over younger voters?
• Is Italy able to adequately cope with the continuing migrant crisis?
• Is the Italian economy getting back on track?
• Is the relationship between the US and Turkey improving?
• How long can the UK economy remain immune to damage from Brexit?
• Will the roots of the Syrian refugee crisis become solvable with the military defeat of ISIS?
• Can Donald Trump reset his presidency to expand beyond his core supporters?
• Will President Trump pardon Michael Flynn?
• Will any amount of sanctions convince North Korea to stop its weapons development programs?
• Is political reform in Russia impossible while Vladimir Putin remains in power?