March 2008 Extemp Topics

Domestic

Less Difficult

1. Is the USDA doing enough to protect America's meat supply?

2. What have America's colleges and universities learned about security from recent campus shootings?

3. Can John McCain gain the support of conservatives?

4. Should Congress have a role in combating steroid use in major league baseball?

5. Should meat from cloned cattle be labeled?

6. Do biofuels, such as ethanol, help or hurt the fight against global warming?

7. Who has the superior health care plan: Clinton or Obama?

8. What role will Superdelegates play in resolving the Democratic presidential nomination contest?

9. Should the United States expand the use of nuclear power to meet its energy needs?

10. Is Hillary Clinton losing the support of women voters?

11. What motivates Mike Huckabee's continuing campaign for the presidency?

12. Can Congress achieve reform of the practice of earmarking?

13. Will independent voters determine the outcome of the presidential election?

More Difficult

1. Will the unresolved democratic presidential nomination process cause the party to rethink its process for apportioning delegates?

2. Does the failure of Super Tuesday to produce definitive party nominees discredit or advance the argument for a national presidential primary?

3. Was Congress right when it decided not to renew the law allowing eavesdropping on foreign e-mail and phone calls to the United States?

4. Was the President's decision to shoot down an ailing military satellite a prudent one?

5. Should a merger between United and Continental Airlines be encouraged?

6. What can government and scientists do to better prepare for next year's flu season?

7. Who should be held responsible for the toxic fumes in refugee trailers provided to Hurricane Katrina victims?

8. Does Barak Obama's significant electoral success suggest that race no longer matters to voters?

9. What can be done to stop the loss of US manufacturing jobs to overseas producers?

10. What role should President Bush play in a future McCain presidential campaign?

11. Is the death penalty on the decline in the United States?

12. Are cultural conservatives losing their influence in the Republican Party?

International

Less Difficult

1. Should the United States recognize the independence of Kosovo?

2. What can the United States do to suppress the insurgency in the Iraqi city of Mosul?

3. Can UN and international forces bring stability to Timor Leste (East Timor)?

4. Are US programs to combat AIDS in Africa achieving success?

5. Is a new arms race emerging between the United States and Russia?

6. Is Russia a significant military threat to its western neighbors?

7. Is Iraq finally succeeding at bridging the divide between Sunni and Shia?

8. Is Chinese espionage against the United States a significant threat?

9. Is Turkey becoming less secular?

10. Will Vladimir Putin's presumed successor sound a tone of moderation with Russia's neighbors?

11. What can be done to improve conditions for refugees from Chad?

12. Can Kofi Anan negotiate a peace deal between rival factions in Kenya?

13. Should tougher international sanctions be imposed upon Iran?

More Difficult

1. Was Benazir Bhutto Pakistan's last best hope for resisting Islamic extremism in the country?

2. Will France's controversial Holocaust education plan fulfill its objectives?

3. Will the fraud inquiry against South Korea's President-elect result in his removal?

4. Will Steven Spielberg's resignation as artistic advisor to the Beijing Olympics succeed in drawing attention to China's policies toward Darfur, as he hopes?

5. How helpful is Australia's decision to apologize to Aborigines for historic injustices?

6. What can be done to stem ethnic conflicts between Magyars and Roma in Hungary?

7. Is conflict over Afghanistan policy destabilizing the NATO alliance?

8. Will the recent death of a Hizbollah leader result in renewed conflict between factions in Lebanon?

9. Will Israel ever agree to allow Gaza to be part of a future Palestinian state?

10. Is NAFTA responsible for continued poverty in Mexico?

11. Will China's efforts to expand its transportation infrastructure add to its pollution problems?

12. Is Muqtada al Sadr an ally or an enemy of peace in Iraq?