NFHS EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING TOPICS

October 2023

Domestic

Closed-Ended

1. Should Trump and Biden heed Mitt Romney’s call to step aside in favor of a younger generation of politicians?

2. Was the Texas Senate’s decision to acquit Attorney General Ken Paxton of his impeachment charges a sound one?

3. Is President Biden vulnerable to a successful Republican impeachment effort?

4. Can Chief Justice Roberts prevail upon his colleagues to pass a stricter ethics code for justices?

5. Is United States aid to Ukraine being used as it was intended?

6. Will legal challenges grounded in the 14th amendment succeed in blocking Donald Trump’s access to the presidential ballot in 2024? 

7. Should Tanya Chutkan recuse herself from Donald Trump’s 2020 election subversion case?

8. Should Mitch McConnell step down from his Senate seat?

9. Can any other Republican presidential candidate shake Donald Trump’s hold on the Christian Right?

10. Was the US government wise in approving the recent military aid package for Egypt?

11. Is the United States government doing enough to protect America’s access to a steady supply of semiconductors?

12. Will the new iPhone’s improvements expand the popularity of the device with American consumers?

13. With another negative federal ruling about its legality, is DACA dead?

Open-Ended

1. How is Donald Trump’s refusal to participate in Republican primary debaters impacting his standing as a candidate?

2. What steps should local governments take to increase security in their jails?

3. How will Hunter Biden’s indictment impact his father’s presidential campaign?

4. What steps can the Biden administration take to prevent future government shutdowns?

5. Why did Kevin McCarthy decide to allow an impeachment inquiry against President Biden to move forward?

6. What will be the lasting economic impact of the UAW strike against the Big 3 automakers?

7. What will be the consequences of a federal court’s rejection of Alabama’s congressional map?

8. How long can Kevin McCarthy maintain his leadership of House Republicans?

9. What will be the lasting political impact of Tommy Tuberville’s hold on military promotions?

10. What steps can be taken to better combat expanding child poverty in the United States?

11. What explains the sudden increase in strikes by organized labor this year?

12. What steps should state election officials take to protect 2024 elections from foreign election tampering?

International

Closed-Ended

1. Will Saudi Arabia’s plan for “the line” result in a truly sustainable city?

2. Will the recent arrest of a US contractor disrupt the relationship between America and Ethiopia?

3. Can Kenya succeed in bringing order to Haiti?

4. Are China’s recent military exercises in the Western Pacific a dry run for an invasion of Taiwan?

5. Can India be turned into a chip-making superpower?

6. Will deepening ties between the United States and Vietnam further the rift between the US and China?

7. Should Western nations continue the recent trend of “de-risking,” by lessening economic ties to China?

8. Has the Belt and Road initiative been good for China?

9. Should Brazil end its ban on gambling?

10. Can Israel’s judiciary reverse the Knesset’s moves to constrain its authority?

11. Is Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland a threat to the centrist coalitions that have recently governed there?

12. Are Ukraine’s military tactics working?

13. Is the world community doing enough to reverse the coup in Niger?

Open-Ended

1. What concessions must be made for Israel and Saudi Arabia to arrive at an agreement on normalization of relations?

2. How might the recent flood in Libya change the divided political dynamic there?

3. How might European bans on Ukrainian grain impact the solidarity of Western Europe in support of Ukraine?

4. How will a closer relationship between North Korea and Russia impact the war in Ukraine?

5. What steps should be taken to address the needs of South Sudanese refugees fleeing the war in Sudan?

6. What steps should Israel take to address the needs of asylum seekers from Eritrea?

7. How will Mexico’s decision to legalize abortion nationwide impact the mostly Catholic nation’s politics?

8. How will China’s declining economy impact the Communist Party’s grip on power?

9. How would a North Korean submarine capable of launching nuclear weapons change the US approach toward the country?

10. What steps can Prime Minister Modi take to further unity among India’s regions?

11. What steps must European leaders take to reverse the rise of right-wing populism there?

12. What must the BRICS nations do if they want to become a true alternative to US dominance in the world?