NFHS EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING TOPICS

May 2017

Domestic

Closed-Ended

1. Who controls America’s military strategy – President Trump or the Pentagon?
   
   
2. Should the federal government hand over more of its land to be controlled by the states?
   
   
3. Who will prevail in the feud between Steve Bannon and Jared Kushner?
   
   
4. Are further mergers within the global auto industry good for the US auto makers?
   
   
5. Are women underpaid in the tech industry?
   
   
6. Is the apparent boom in America’s economy a false one?
   
   
7. Should endangered species be moved to protect them from climate change?
   
   
8. Does the departure of Bill O’Reilly from Fox News undermine President Trump’s ability to get his message to the American public?
   
   
9. Is Ivanka Trump’s position in the White House a conflict of interest?
   
   
10. Is Carter Page’s activities in Russia the “smoking gun” Trump opponents have been looking for?
    
    
11. Should colleges and universities have the right to cancel speeches by controversial figures who have been invited by student groups?
    
    
12. When Presidents seek to pay for the cost of their inaugurals, should they be limited as to the persons from whom they may draw contributions?
    

Open-Ended

1. What must United Airlines do to restore its credibility with the American traveler?
   
   
2. What will be the consequence to America’s democracy of further restrictions on the Senate’s filibuster rules?
   
   
3. What distinguishes a hate crime from a terrorist act?
   
   
4. How will Bill O’Reilly’s departure from Fox News impact the popularity of the network?
   
   
5. What do recent Democratic performances in Kansas and Georgia special elections say about the prospects for Democrats in midterm elections?
   
   
6. What is the significance for Utah politics with Jason Chaffetz’s sudden announcement that he will not run for reelection in 2018?
   
   
7. What criminal activities should warrant expedited deportation of undocumented immigrants?
   
   
8. How can Congress legitimize its investigation of Russia’s involvement in the Presidential election?
   
   
9. What impact will the USDA’s new income standards for school lunch programs have on children’s health?
   
   
10. What do current unemployment statistics tell us about the nature of poverty in the United States?
    
    
11. What steps can the federal government take to further restrict the growth of opioid abuse?
    
    
12. What steps can police departments take to protect non-violent protesters from physical harm?
    
    
13. Why has President Trump changed his tune with respect to alleged Chinese currency manipulation?

International

Closed-Ended

1. Is Turkey’s President Erdogan becoming a dictator?
   
   
2. Will President Trump’s missile attack on Syria deter it from future use of chemical weapons?
   
   
3. Can Honduras return to democracy through its upcoming elections?
   
   
4. Can Hong Kong’s proposed education reforms defuse political tension in the schools?
   
   
5. Who holds more sway in Iraq – the United States or Iran? 
   
   
6. Will Iran’s presidential election most likely generate a conservative or moderate winner? 
   
   
7. Who is likely to prevail in France’s Presidential contest? 
   
   
8. Will Britain lose the benefits of European free trade after the completion of Brexit? 
   
   
9. Is it time for Jacob Zuma’s presidency of South Africa to end? 
   
   
10. Does Lenin Moreno have the mandate of Ecuador’s people to maintain his predecessor’s policies?
     
11. Should the people of Paraguay permit their president to run for an additional term? 
    
    
12. Can Egypt bring the insurgency in the Sinai under control?
    
    
13. Can France and Germany thwart Russian interference in upcoming elections? 

Open-Ended

1. What can China do to improve the educational prospects of its rural citizens?
   
   
2. What steps must Australia take to conquer its widening drug epidemic?
   
   
3. What steps can Egypt take to protect the interests of its Coptic minority?
   
   
4. How can the world community act against Chechnya’s recent repressive activities aimed at its LGBT population?
   
   
5. How can Mediterranean nationals best address the migrant crisis in their shared sea?
   
   
6. How should moderate European countries address the rising tide of right wing extremism in the continent?
   
   
7. What can the world community do to better dispose of its nuclear waste?
   
   
8. What steps must Myanmar take to free its rural farmers from poverty?
   
   
9. What steps must the world community take to end the use of chemical and biological weapons?
   
   
10. What steps must China take to bring its unpredictable North Korean neighbor under control?
    
    
11. How will the United Arab Emirates’ acquisition of ports abroad impact its influence on global shipping?
    
    
12. What is chiefly to blame for Russia’s problems with terrorism?