Extemp - Oct. 2018

NFHS EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING TOPICS

October 2018

Domestic

Closed‐Ended

1. Has the United States Senate handled the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh correctly?

2. Will Democrats recapture control of the U.S. Congress?

3. Was the federal government’s response to Hurricane Florence adequate?

4. Should Elon Musk step‐down from his leadership of Tesla?

5. Should Congress act to block the creation of President Trump’s proposed “Space Force,”

as the 6th branch of the military?

6. Is the United States adequately prepared to answer the threat of cyberwarfare from

abroad?

7. Should Brock Long be replaced as FEMA administrator?

8. Do President Trump’s tweets help or hurt him politically?

9. Did the anonymous Trump administration official, who authored the infamous letter to

the New York Times, commit an act of “treason” as asserted by the President?

10. Can the Trump administration succeed in negotiating a successor agreement to NAFTA?

11. Is FEMA unprepared to handle contemporary natural disasters?

12. Should Michael Bloomberg pursue the presidency in 2020?

Open‐Ended

1. How will the outcome of the Brett Kavanaugh nomination and confirmation process

impact the midterm elections?

2. What does the United States military need to do to better confront a rising Chinese

military?

3. How are President Trump’s tariffs impacting the United States economy?

4. Has the Trump administration adequately responded to court demands to reunite

immigrant families separated at the border?

5. When can Americans expect a conclusion to the Robert Mueller investigation?

6. What has been the impact of Bob Woodward’s book “Fear” on the Trump

administration?

7. How will the Trump administration’s decision to drastically cut its cap on refugees

impact America’s image in the world?

8. What steps can the United States take to de‐escalate its trade conflict with China?

9. What will be the impact of the Texas State Board of Education to remove certain figures

– such as Hillary Clinton – from the state’s history curriculum?

10. How will the Trump administration’s decrease in attention to initiatives fighting climate

change impact the global efforts to address the issue?

11. How are the actions of the Justice Department impacting free speech on America’s

college campuses?

12. What must the United States do to save American factory jobs?

13. What accounts for the success of Beto O’Rourke in the Texas Senate polls?

International

Closed‐Ended

1. Will Syria’s accidental downing of a Russian plane prove to be a setback to Syria’s

support of the Assad regime?

2. Who is doing more to improve the prospects for peace on the Korean peninsula: The

United States or South Korea?

3. Should Myanmar be referred to the International Criminal Court for war crimes against

its Rohingya population?

4. Has Poland’s anti‐democratic drift breached its obligations under the European Union

Treaty?

5. Is democracy in danger in Guatemala?

6. Is Russia working to undermine sanctions against North Korea?

7. Is the security threat from Iran in the Persian Gulf increasing?

8. Is Iraq more or less safe today than it was when ISIS was expelled from the country?

9. Will the declining economy loosen Daniel Ortega’s grip on power in Nicaragua?

10. Will India’s decision to decriminalize same sex relations change the lives of Indian LGBT

individuals?

11. Can Thailand make a successful transition back to a freely‐elected democratic

government?

12. Can land swaps between Serbia and Kosovo resolve the ongoing disputes over Kosovar

independence?

Open‐Ended

1. How will increased Russian cooperation with Turkey impact the NATO alliance?

2. What can Colombia do to stop the growth of new insurgent groups?

3. How will China’s modernization of its Navy impact China’s global influence?

4. What can the international community do to respond to China’s oppression of its Uighur

minority?

5. What will be the impact of the creation of a demilitarized zone by Turkey and Russia in

Syria?

6. What steps can Taiwan take to improve its relationship with mainland China?

7. How will a new free trade agreement with the United States impact the Mexican

economy?

8. What can Venezuela’s president do to revive his nation’s economy?

9. How will Malaysia’s resistance to China’s Belt and Road initiative impact the behavior of

other countries in the region?

10. What must Australia’s Prime Minister do to lessen divisions within his political party?

11. What can Afghanistan’s neighbors do to bring about an end to the civil war in

Afghanistan?

12. How will the Palestinian Authority be impacted by the lessening of support from the

United States?

13. How will the economic slump in South Africa impact their president’s plans for

economic reform?