NFHS EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING TOPICS

February 2022

Domestic

Closed-Ended

1. Should state governments be allowed to create special election police forces?

2. Will Governor Ron DeSantis soon surpass Donald Trump as the probable 2024 Republican presidential nominee?

3. Will the availability of free COVID-19 home test kits have an impact on mitigating the spread of the disease?

4. Given declining poll numbers are Democrats likely to lose control of congress in November?

5. Should election day be made a federal holiday?

6. Has COVID-19 gone from “pandemic” to “endemic”?

7. Should officers of the U.S. military be held liable for civilian deaths in drone strikes?

8. Is Senator Sinema losing support among Democrats?

9. Can Puerto Rico recover its financial footing after bankruptcy?

10. Should cruises be suspended until COVID-19 numbers improve?

11. Do foreign governments still have an incentive to interfere with US elections?

12. Can anti-Trump Republicans mount a revolution within the party?

13. Was the Supreme Court’s decision blocking President Biden’s vaccine mandate for large businesses based on law or politics?

Open-Ended

1. What will be the political consequences of Congress’ failure to pass voting rights legislation?

2. What will be the consequence of the Supreme Court’s decision to permit the release of Donald Trump’s presidential documents to the January 6th Committee?

3. How will the refusal of key figures in President Trump’s orbit to testify to the January 6th Committee impact the image of the Republican Party?

4. What is responsible for the rise in food prices in the United States?

5. How can the United States combat the surge in violent crimes in the United States?

6. How do we prevent a January 6th-like demonstration from happening in the future?

7. What steps can government take to protect America’s synagogues and churches against future terrorist attacks?

8. What will be the political consequences of Ted Cruz’s court challenge to federal campaign finance limits?

9. What successes can the Biden administration celebrate after its first year?

10. As 2022 dawns, what represents the core issues for the Republican Party?

11. What explains the record number of signups for the benefits of the Affordable Care Act?

12. What can the United States do to increase the availability affordable childcare?

International

Closed-Ended

1. Does Alexei Navalny still pose a threat to Vladimir Putin from behind bars?

2. Should western nations call Vladimir Putin’s bluff over threat to invade Ukraine?

3. Do current tensions between the major nuclear powers raise the threat of nuclear war?

4. Have Sudanese pro-democracy protestors lost any hope of gaining the upper hand over the acting government?

5. Can Namibia become a successful exporter of hydrogen fuel?

6. Will Ingrid Betancourt win the Colombian presidential election?

7. Will Canada’s new pledge of funding fix its child welfare system?

8. Is Latin American politics turning more sharply to the left?

9. Can Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., win the Philippine presidential election?

10. Do recent missile launches indicate a heightened threat from North Korea?

11. Is China interfering with UK parliamentary activities?

12. Will looming elections cause France to prematurely lift COVID restrictions?

13. Is Russia pulling the strings in Kazakhstan?

Open-Ended

1. How will Russian threats against Ukraine, and NATO expansion efforts, impact the NATO alliance?

2. What must Tunisia’s president do to salvage his nation’s economy?

3. What has motivated Uganda’s incursions into Congo?

4. What can the world community do to best help Tonga in the wake of the devastating underwater volcanic eruption?

5. What impact will Prince Andrew’s sex abuse scandal have on the British monarchy?

6. How will China’s severely reduced birthrate impact the nation’s future?

7. What should world sports federations do to prevent a repeat of the Djokovic COVID controversy?

8. What must Boris Johnson do to prevent losing his job as UK Prime Minister?

9. What must South Africa do to quit its dependence on coal?

10. What must the government of Bahrain do to bring unity to Sunnis and Shias?

11. What can UAE leaders do to prevent another strike by Yemen’s Houthis?

12. What can oil producers in the Arab world do to temper the rising price of fuel?