NFHS EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING TOPICS

April 2022

Domestic

Closed-Ended

1. Do Jussie Smollett’s actions warrant incarceration?

2. Will recent problems with the law undermine Madison Cawthorn’s congressional reelection plans?

3. Should American news outlets withdraw reporters from the war zone in Ukraine?

4. Was it premature for Sarah Bloom Raskin to withdraw her candidacy for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors?

5. Can Dr. Mehmet Oz win a seat in the United States Senate?

6. Will lobbying by Ukraine’s President cause Congress to change its posture toward further military intervention by the United States?

7. Will rising food prices increase food insecurity in the United States?

8. Will critics of Democratic immigration policies embrace the extension of protected status to Afghans living in the United States?

9. Does California need a bullet train? 10. Will President Biden get Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court nomination through a divided Senate?

11. With the COVID pandemic apparently nearing its end, do states need more emergency housing aid?

12. Are COVID restrictions being lifted by the states too quickly?

13. Should the United States revisit its strategy for the development and use of strategic nuclear weapons?

Open-Ended

1. What responsibility does a president have for the cost of oil and gas in the United States?

2. How will Donald Trump’s comments supportive of Vladimir Putin impact Trump’s aspirations for reelection?

3. How can the continued discrepancy in salaries between men and women in the United States be addressed?

4. What will be the economic consequences of an increase in interest rates?

5. How significant is the vulnerability of the United States to a major Russian cyberattack?

6. What steps can the federal government take to slow the rate of inflation?

7. With several staff departures, what can Vice President Harris do to bring greater stability to her office?

8. If Donald Trump is nominated for President in 2024, who would most likely be his running mate?

9. How will scrutiny of Hunter Biden impact his father’s presidency?

10. What steps should the United States take in response to Vladimir Putin’s nuclear sabre rattling?

11. What steps should United States health care leaders take to protect against a resurgence in COVID cases?

12. What must be done to move the trial of 9-11 organizer Khalid Shaikh Mohammed forward?

International Questions

Closed-Ended

1. Is Al Shabab’s power in Somalia decreasing?

2. Can Sudan’s “Resistance Committees” bring Democracy to the country?

3. Can Australia revive its tourist industry?

4. Is China’s economic influence a threat to small Pacific Island Nations?

5. Can the United States and Venezuela warm their relations?

6. Will Serdar Berdymukhammedov be able to maintain his father’s tight grip on power when he assumes the presidency of Turkmenistan?

7. Has the crisis in Ukraine made NATO a more united alliance?

8. Can dissidents in Russia gain the upper hand against Putin?

9. Should the International Space Station be evacuated?

10. Will the need for more oil production force western countries to provide more support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen?

11. Can negotiators succeed in renewing the Iran nuclear agreement?

12. Should Ukraine’s government relocate away from Kiyv?

13. Does evidence exist to charge Syrian leaders with war crimes?

Open-Ended

1. What can European nations do to wean themselves from dependence on Russian fuel?

2. Now that western nations have had months to vaccinate, what steps can be taken to bring about a more equitable distribution of COVID vaccines to the rest of the world?

3. What explains the support of some African countries for the recent actions of Putin’s Russia?

4. What will be the consequences of France’s withdrawal from Mali?

5. What differences must Libyan factions overcome to create a united nation?

6. What caused Guatemala’s president to reverse course on his party’s anti-abortion bill?

7. What steps must Canada take to increase its national security in the Arctic?

8. What will be the impact on global supply chains of China’s recent COVID lockdowns?

9. What will be the political consequence of India’s ban on hijabs in schools?

10. How has the crisis in Ukraine transformed German politics?

11. How should NATO respond if Russia uses chemical or low-yield nuclear weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine?

12. What must Israel and Turkey do to continue improving their strained relations?