Extemp Topic Areas

For 2024, the Extemporaneous Speaking topic areas will be as follows:

• Round One: Africa and the Middle East
• Round Two: Domestic Politics
• Round Three: The Americas
• Round Four: Domestic Social and Economic Issues
• Octas: Asia and Oceania
• Quarters: American Security
• Semis: Europe
• Finals: Hypotheticals

1st:

1. Has the Mérida Initiative been successful in combating drug trafficking?

2. Should Peru implement stronger gun control policies?

3. What can the United Nations do to address illegal fishing in Latin America and the Caribbean?

2nd:

4. How can Peru combat the growing influence of organized crime in its politics?

5. Can Mercosur be revived?

6. How likely is war between Guyana and Venezuela?

3rd:

7. Can Guatemala’s new president reignite the fight against corruption?

8. Will Coalición Republicana win Uruguay’s presidential elections?

9. Should America lift its economic sanctions on Venezuela

4th:

10. What impact will Javier Milei’s economic reforms package have on Argentina?

11. What should the international community do to help stabilize Haiti?

12. Has the Chilean government done enough to respond to the wildfires?

5th:

13. How should the U.S. respond to China’s influence in Latin America?

14. How should Jamaica's tourism industry respond to State Department travel safety warnings?

15. Who will win in Panama’s presidential election?

6th:

16. Will Ecuador’s “War on Crime” bring stability to the nation?

17. What can Panama do to reduce migrant fatalities in the Darien Gap?

18. Will Gustavo Petro succeed in his plans to reduce cocaine production in Colombia?

7th:

19. How can Miguel Díaz-Canel address Cuba’s fuel crisis?

20. What can Brazil’s new president do to prevent deforestation of the Amazon?

21. Have Brazilian politics recovered from Bolsonaro’s coup attempt

1st:

1. What will be the most important gubernatorial election for the Democratic Party in 2024?

2. Is Alejandro Mayorkas becoming a political problem for Biden?

3. How will Biden’s handling of inflation impact his political future?

2nd:

1. What would a second Trump term mean for Federal workers?

2. Should the United States introduce age limits for elected officials in the Federal Government?

3. What should the Montana Democratic Party do to ensure John Tester wins this fall?

3rd:

4. Will California’s Prop. 1 pass this year?

5. In the wake of 2021’s SB 1, what can Texans do to make voting more accessible to those with disabilities?

6. Will Lauren Boebert win the election in Colorado’s 4th district?

4th:

7. Is the Federal Government doing enough to prevent foreign election interference?

8. What impact will AI have on political advertising this election cycle?

9. Does Michigan’s recent elimination of its “Right to Work” laws signal change for the Democratic Party on labor issues?

5th:

10. Would a Trump victory in 2024 help or hurt the GOP in the long run?

11. Who should Donald Trump choose as his running mate?

12. Will Biden’s rightward shift in immigration policy hurt his election odds in 2024?

6th:

1. What should the Republican Party do to prevent Ted Cruz from losing his senate seat?

2. Is Ron DeSantis’s political career over?

3. Will Biden’s efforts to reform Medicare drug pricing have a meaningful impact on his election odds?

7th:

1. What does the Trump fraud trial mean for his political future?

2. Who will be Virginia’s next Governor?

3. How will the August decision in Hopkins v. Hosemann impact Mississippi’s upcoming elections?

1st:

1. Should the United States pursue more aggressive military action against Iran?

2. Is the RSF on the path to victory in the Sudanese Civil War in 2024?

3. What should the Somali Federal Government do to sustain their recent victories over Al Shabaab?

2nd:

4. Will the ANC win a decisive victory in South Africa’s upcoming elections?

5. What should the United States do to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Rafah?

6. How will the military coup in Niger impact counterterrorism efforts in the Lake Chad Basin?

3rd:

7. Are Lebanon and Israel on the path to war?

8. Will the Lobito Corridor be a meaningful alternative to the Belt and Road in Africa?

9. Should Nigeria reconsider its neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine War?

4th:

10. Will the African Union be successful in eliminating malaria by 2030?

11. Are the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda on the path to war?

12. What can the Iraqi government do to prevent an escalation between the US and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq?

5th:

13. Will Senegal be able to transition power peacefully in 2024?

14. Will Burkina Faso’s plan to arm civilian volunteers to fight terrorism backfire?

15. Amid rising unrest in the region, will ISIS make a comeback in Syria?

6th:

16. What steps should President Chakwera take to address the cost-of-living crisis in Malawi?

17. Should ECOWAS lift its sanctions on Niger?

18. How can the United States help Syrian Kurds without jeopardizing its NATO alliances?

7th:

19. Will Namibia’s recent oil discovery help or hurt the nation’s economic development?

20. Should the international community recognize Somaliland as an independent nation?

21. Has the Belt and Road initiative hindered Kenya’s long-term economic growth

1st:

1. What should Idaho do to reduce the high rates of murdered and missing indigenous women in the state?

2. What can state governments do to address the K-12 teacher shortage?

3. Should America expand its H1B Visa program?

2nd:

4. How should the Department of Education mitigate the school-to-prison pipeline?

5. Is America heading towards another recession?

6. Have America’s schools effectively dealt with COVID-19 "learning loss"?

3rd:

7. What can American jails do to reduce pre-trial detention deaths?

8. What should Governor Gavin Newsom do to address California’s housing crisis?

9. Is Iowa doing enough to prevent the loss of family farms?

4th:

10. With the Supreme Court poised to overturn Chevron, what should the Biden administration do to ensure strong environmental protections?

11. Should the Bureau of Land Management allow grazing on public lands?

12. How can Mississippi address its maternal mortality crisis

5th:

13. What should West Virginia do to address the prescription opioid epidemic?

14. Will the CHIPS Act do enough to reduce American dependence on Taiwanese semiconductors?

15. Should more states abolish cash bail?

6th:

16. What should Democrats do to address the administrative Border Crisis?

17. What will be the next major goal for disability justice advocates in 2024?

18. How can the federal government limit the growing costs of prescription medications?

1st:

1. How likely is a Chinese-Indian conflict over the Himalayan border in 2024?

2. Will the Taliban’s successful opium ban help or hurt Afghanistan?

3. What can the United States do to reduce rising tensions between South Korea and North Korea?

2nd:

4. What should the Taliban do to address persistent water shortages in Afghanistan?

5. Is China heading for an economic collapse?

6. Can ASEAN successfully deter Chinese aggression in the South China Sea?

3rd:

7. What can Vietnam do to safeguard its agricultural industry from climate change?

8. Has President Anwar delivered on his anti-corruption promises in Malaysia?

9. Is a stronger relationship with NATO in Japan’s best interest?

4th:

10. Is Russia’s sphere of influence shrinking in Central Asia?

11. What can the international community do to help Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees?

12. Has the Belt and Road initiative helped or hurt Pakistan’s long-term economic growth?

5th:

13. What should India do to strengthen its maritime cybersecurity?

14. Should the US reopen its embassy in Afghanistan?

15. Should South Korea seek its own nuclear weapons?

6th:

16. Are India’s anti-piracy patrols in the Red Sea a liability for the nation?

17. Are Pakistan and Iran on the verge of war in Balochistan?

18. Should the United States pursue a closer relationship with Cambodia?

7th:

19. What can Indonesia do to reduce air quality problems in Jakarta?

20. Will Olzhas Bektenov bring meaningful reform to Kazakh politics?

21. How likely is a Chinese invasion of Taiwan in the next five years?

1st:

1. Are American energy companies doing enough to defend their cyber infrastructure?

2. Does incel terrorism pose a threat to national security?

3. What should the Department of Defense do to protect American military installations in Africa from the effects of climate change?

2nd:

4. What can police departments do to address their internal far-right extremism problem?

5. Is the US prepared for a potential bioweapon attack?

6. Should Congress reauthorize Section 702?

3rd:

7. What can the federal government do to prevent domestic terrorist attacks ahead of the 2024 presidential election?

8. Should state and federal law enforcement agencies continue using facial recognition software?

9. What steps should the Army take to address their persistent recruitment problems?

4th:

10. Is the growing national debt a threat to domestic security?

11. Are Chinese acquisitions of American farmland a legitimate security concern?

12. What should the federal government do to prevent domestic terror attacks on America's power infrastructure?

5th:

13. How can the US federal government combat the fentanyl epidemic?

14. Should the federal government be concerned about the military’s use of drones produced by foreign entities?

15. Should the United States expand its information warfare capabilities?

6th:

16. What steps can the US take to protect its commercial satellites from foreign threats?

17. What should the Department of Education do to reduce the cyber workforce gap?

18. Should the military take a more active role in combating climate change?

7th:

19. Should America end solitary confinement in federal prisons?

20. How likely is foreign election interference in 2024?

21. How should the federal government respond to Texas’s rejection of federal border security policies

1st

1. How will the war in Ukraine impact Russia’s ability to project power in Africa?

2. Should the European Union establish its own military?

3. What would another Trump term mean for NATO?

2nd

4. What does Navalny’s death mean for the opposition in Russia?

5. How should Putin respond to the rise of the European far right?

6. What steps should the European Union take to reduce migrant fatalities in the Mediterranean?

3rd

7. What does the success of the recent farm protests mean for European Union politics?

8. What should the Baltics do to limit the impact of Russian disinformation at home?

9. Has the time come to negotiate with Putin to end the war in Ukraine?

4th

10. What can the international community do to address Italy’s recent attacks on LGBT families?

11. Is Ireland headed for reunification?

12. Before their natural gas deal with Russia expires, what should the EU do to reduce dependence on Russia's natural gas?

5th

13. Now that Greece has legalized same-sex marriage, which European nation is next?

14. Should Azerbaijan continue to push for Armenia to rewrite its constitution?

15. Is Zelensky doing enough to solve Ukraine’s ammunition shortage?

6th

16. What can the international community do to advance women’s rights in Russia?

17. What does the recent backlash against Germany’s AfD party mean for the future of European populism?

18. How will the increasing secularization of Western Europe impact its relationship with Eastern Europe?

7th

19. Will Hungary approve Sweden’s NATO application?

20. Will the Netherlands be able to form its far-right government?

21. How should the UK Parliament amend the Rwanda asylum plan to address humanitarian concerns?

1. Early this morning, Kim Jong Un launched a series of ballistic missile attacks on South Korea. How should China respond to this unprecedented escalation?

2. After years of rumors about Putin’s health, the Russian leader succumbs to an unknown disease. What should Zelensky do next in the war in Ukraine?

3. With rising backlash over his mental well-being, Joe Biden drops out of the Presidential Elections. Who should the Democratic Party rally behind instead?

4. The Supreme Court upheld the Colorado decision and rules that Trump has violated the 14th Amendment. Riots have erupted across the nation as Trump is removed from the ballot. How should the federal government respond?

5. As tensions rise in Canada over environmental issues, Alberta declares its independence. Should Justin Trudeau use military force to take back the region?

6. After years of saber-rattling, Xi Jinping has launched a large-scale amphibious invasion of Taiwan. Will China be able to successfully retake the island?

7. The Supreme Court upholds the Fifth Circuit’s ruling in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA, rolling back access to mail-order mifepristone. What should women’s rights organizations do to ensure abortion access in states where it is now banned?

8. Somalia’s anti-terrorism offensive falters, and alliances between the clans and the government fall apart. Will Al Shabaab take control of the nation?

9. Turkey declares war on Greece over their maritime dispute in the Aegean. How should NATO respond?

10. The DRC invades Rwanda for its support of M23. Will the African Union be able to diffuse the conflict?

11. China constructs a military base in Cuba and threatens to cut off America’s maritime trade. What should the US do to secure its maritime interests?

12. A massive cyberattack from an unknown source has wiped out the US electric grid. Does the federal government have what it takes to respond to the humanitarian fallout?

13. Iran launches a direct attack against Israel. With global allegiances divided, what should the international community do to prevent nuclear escalation?

14. Worried about the US commitment to NATO, the European Union decides to establish its own standing military. What does this mean for EU-Russian relations?

15. In an effort to win NRA support, Biden announced that he would block all federal-level gun control legislation if re-elected. He wins the election in 2024. With no hope of federal legislation, what should gun control activists do to advance reforms?

16. A military coup sweeps Nigeria, replacing President Tinubu with a pro-Russian, anti-Western leader. How will this coup impact Boko Haram’s success in the Lake Chad region?

17. Clarence Thomas, in a tragic private jet-related accident, dies. Who would be the best choice for the Biden administration to nominate as a successor?

18. China suffers a financial crash similar to the 2008 economic crisis in the United States, plunging the world into a global recession. How should ASEAN mitigate the economic fallout?

19. Ted Cruz is arrested on suspicion of being the Zodiac Killer. Who should the Republican party nominate in his place?

20. The Indian National Congress pulls a surprise upset and wins the elections in India. What does this mean for India-Pakistan relations?

21. The Zapatistas declare war on the Mexican Government. How should AMLO respond?