Harvard Extemp Questions

Kay Rollins and April Zhang were kind enough to share the Extemp questions for the 2025 Harvard Tournment! Happy practicing!

Africa and the Middle East

1. What steps should the Nigerian government take to combat Boko Haram? 
2. Is ISIS heading for a resurgence in Syria? 
3. What will the Trump administration mean for the Saudi nuclear program?
4. What steps should the African Union take to protect member nations from the effects of climate change? 
5. Is supporting M-23 in Rwanda’s best interest? 
6. What will Joseph Aoun’s election in Lebanon mean for Hezbollah? 
7. What should South Africa do to prevent a spike in HIV? 
8. Will Saudi Arabia regret its decision to host the 2034 World Cup?
9. How can Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stabilize the Syrian Economy? 
10. Should the United States Recognize an Independent Somaliland? 
11. How should South Africa reduce youth unemployment? 
12. What can the international community do to bring an end to the war in Sudan? 
13. Does Russian disinformation in Cameroon pose a threat to the nation’s stability? 
14. Is the era of French influence in West Africa over?
15. Which African country will most benefit from Trump’s transactional foreign policy strategy?
16. Is the Ethiopia-Somalia trade corridor a pipe dream? 
17. Is China’s shift towards a smaller BRI in Africa’s favor? 
18. Will the Turkish-Egyptian reconciliation help stabilize the Horn of Africa? 
19. Will Daniel Chapo fulfill his promise to protect human rights in Mozambique? 
20. What impact will Trump’s decision to relabel the Houthis as terrorists have on Yemen? 
21. Is South Africa’s New Land Act in the nation’s best interest? 

US Politics

1. What can be done to improve voter turnout on Native American reservations before the next presidential election?
2. Is the Federal Government prepared to defend the 2026 midterm elections from foreign election interference?
3. What impact will RFK Jr. have on federal pharma research? 
4. Who is best positioned to win the Democratic primary to replace Gavin Newsom as California’s Governor?  
5. Should Americans be worried about the politicization of the FBI? 
6. What should Democrats do now to improve their chances of winning the Rust Belt in the next Presidential election? 
7. Should America implement term limits for Federal judges? 
8. After a surprise showing in 2024, will Republicans be able to sustain their increased support in Latino and Hispanic communities in the coming years?
9. Who will win Virginia’s 2025 gubernatorial race? 
10. Can Democrats unify around a shared economic message for the upcoming midterm elections? 
11. How can Congress reduce the high incarceration rate in state prisons? 
12. Will the Supreme Court vote to uphold Donald Trump’s Executive Order on birthright citizenship? 
13. Was Ken Martin the right choice for the Democratic National Committee? 
14. What impact will decreased social media regulation have on the 2026 elections? 
15. Would Trump’s decision to end FEMA be in Republicans’ best electoral interest? 
16. Will the left be able to find their own Joe Rogan? 
17. Is the Posse Comitatus act under threat? 
18. What does Doug Bergham mean for the future of Federal lands?
19. Will Donald Trump’s influence over the Republican Party fade after the 2026 midterms?
20. Can a third party become a legitimate electoral force in 2028?
21. How can Republicans improve their standing among young voters?

The Americas

1. What steps can Colombia take to limit ELN violence in the country?
2. What should Mexico do to best insulate its economy from the impact of potential American tariffs? 
3. Will the Chinese-backed Chancay port help or hurt Peru’s long-term economic interests? 
4. What should Jamaica do to limit gang violence against civilians? 
5. What lessons should Canadian Liberals take from Trudeau’s prime ministership? 
6. Will recent efforts to remove Nicholas Maduro from office be successful? 
7. Should other Latin American countries adopt El Salvador’s gang crackdown? 
8. Will Milei’s economic gamble backfire in Argentina’s upcoming elections?
9. Is Mexico’s decision to phase out GMO corn in the nation’s best interest? 
10. Will Claudia Sheinbaum be more successful in addressing cartel violence in Mexico than her predecessor? 
11. Should the United Nations send peacekeeping troops to Haiti? 
12. Are Venezuela and Guyana heading for war over their border dispute? 
13. Should the international community consider Ecuador’s recent elections “free and fair”?
14. Is it time for America to have a strategic rapprochement with Cuba? 
15. Is Nicaragua’s gold mining industry the key to long-term economic growth? 
16. Will Meili be successful in building an Argentina-Bolivia Border Wall? 
17. Who will win Honduras’s presidential election in 2025?
18. What impact will Trump’s new immigration policies have on USSOUTHCOM?
19. Is the Pan American Health Organization more prepared for a potential pandemic than it was in 2020? 
20. What steps should Brazil take to remedy political polarization in the wake of Bolsonaro’s ban from office? 
21. Who will win Bolivia’s presidential election? 

US Economy

1. Would Nippon Steel’s purchase of US Steel benefit the American economy? 
2. Is America headed for a recession in 2025? 
3. Should Virginia implement a right-to-work law? 
4. What should colleges do to ensure that their students are prepared for an AI economy? 
5. What steps should the Department of Commerce take to expand broadband access?
6. Is the federal debt a national security risk? 
7. Is Scott Bessent’s 3 Percent Deficit Target worth the costs? 
8. Should the federal government implement stronger regulations on private equity firms to prevent economic instability?
9. What should the Federal Government do to reduce income inequality in America? 
10. How should states expand economic opportunities for people with disabilities? 
11. Is Social Security in jeopardy within the next decade? 
12. Is it time for the federal government to seriously consider Universal Basic Income? 
13. What impact would the No Tax on Tips proposal have on the food sector? 
14. How should the state of California address homelessness? 
15. What future will U.S. truck manufacturing have under Trump?
16. What should be the next frontier for labor rights in 2025? 
17. What American industry is best poised to benefit from Trump’s tariffs? 
18. Should the US expand the H1b Visa program? 
19. Should Congress take action to regulate corporate stock buybacks?
20. How can the federal government incentivize domestic semiconductor production to reduce reliance on China?
21. Are states prepared to deal with AI-related layoffs? 

Octos: Europe

1. What steps should NATO take to protect the Baltics from Russian disinformation?
2. What can Zelensky do to improve Ukraine’s Morale crisis? 
3. How can the EU address democratic backsliding among its member nations? 
4. Will Romania’s upcoming presidential election be canceled?
5. Is Germany ready to embrace nuclear energy? 
6. What does the Trump Presidency mean for the future of the Donbas? 
7. Could a new European defense effort successfully replace NATO? 
8. Will the EU’s plans to reduce red tape effectively spur technological innovation?
9. How likely is another wave of ethnic violence in the Balkans? 
10. Should other European leaders adopt Poland’s migration policies?
11. What should the EU do to reduce migrant deaths in the Mediterranean? 
12. Will Elon Musk’s support of Germany’s AFD help or hurt the party?
13. What can Keir Starmer do to further boost the UK’s economy?
14. How can the EU end Eastern Europe’s reliance on Russian energy?
15. To what extent will Europe’s desire for economic competitiveness hinder its climate regulations?
16. Does the Far Right pose a legitimate threat to democracy in the UK? 
17. How likely is Irish Reunification in the next decade? 
18. Should Europe be concerned about the rise of an anti-tourism movement?
19. Is the Italy-Albania immigration protocol doomed to fail?
20. Will European farmers tank the proposed EU-Mercosur free trade agreement?
21. Is Greece right to be worried about Turkey’s territorial ambitions? 

Quarters: US Social

1. What impact would Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act have on US national security? 
2. Should ICE suspend its use of solitary confinement? 
3. How can West Virginian legislators address the foster care crisis in the state?
4. What would Joe Kent’s confirmation as leader of the National Counterterrorism Center mean for the organization? 
5. How should Civil Rights Advocates respond to the increased use of surveillance technology at the US-Mexico border? 
6. How will Trump’s environmental policy changes impact Louisiana’s Cancer Alley?
7. What can school districts do to prevent the online radicalization of America’s youth? 
8. Has Massachusetts’s decision to legalize sports betting been worth it? 
9. Does DOGE’s access to federal personnel information pose a legitimate risk to federal workers? 
10. What does Trump’s recent pardon of the January 6ers mean for the American militia movement?  
11. Should Trump take action to restrict the use of the death penalty? 
12. Is the United States prepared for the prospect of AI-powered biological warfare? 
13. How should domestic US military installations best prepare for the impacts of climate change in the Trump era? 
14. What steps should the US take to reduce the international trafficking of fentanyl into America?
15. What impact would the dismantling of FEMA have on Appalachia? 
16. Should the US military be worried about falling recruitment numbers?
17. What should Federal law enforcement do to address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis?
18. How can New Mexico end the persistent healthcare shortage in the state? 
19. How will the Pentagon’s recent decision to end funding for reproductive care impact military readiness? 
20. Should more jurisdictions end the use of cash bail?
21. Are US states doing enough to monitor and regulate the rise of AI in policing? 

Semis: Asia and Oceania 

1. Why hasn’t Thailand’s People’s Party been as successful as its predecessor, Move Forward?
2. How can Kim Jong Un consolidate power under the Trump administration? 
3. Should South Korea seek its own nuclear weapons?
4. What can Nepal do to support victims of cryptocurrency fraud?
5. What should the United States do to disrupt the Chinese-Russian relationship? 
6. Is the development of the Wakhan Corridor in the Taliban’s best interest? 
7. Should China continue domestically producing off-patent drugs?
8. How can Peter Dutton bridge his gender gap ahead of Australia’s federal elections?
9. How can China ensure their victory in the race over the arctic? 
10. Will Modi’s tax cuts be enough to prevent economic stagnation?
11. How should the United States address the rising threat of ISIS in Afghanistan? 
12. Which Central Asian country stands to gain the most from China’s BRI in 2025?
13. Will Uzbekistan’s efforts to fight desertification in the Aral Sea be successful? 
14. How can Xi Jinping prevent China’s housing crisis from worsening? 
15. What can Japan do to address its population crisis? 
16. What should the Trump Administration do to strengthen the QUAD alliance? 
17. Is it in China’s best interest to support Myanmar’s military junta or its rebels?
18. Is Kiribati doing enough to address its rising sea levels?
19. Will a post-Trudeau Canada be able to ease diplomatic tensions with India?
20. Will Indonesia’s efforts to court foreign investment pay off?
21. How can ASEAN nations take advantage of the US-China trade war? 

Finals: Hypotheticals

1. Escalating cartel violence along the US-Mexico border leads to a deadly skirmish between US troops and Mexican security forces. With tensions at an all-time high, should the US consider military intervention?
2. The new Syrian government, after being shockingly chill for the first few months of their new leadership, attacks the bases left behind by Russian forces. What happens now for Russia’s presence in the Middle East? 
3. Clarence Thomas, hoping to spend more time on Harlan Crow’s private jets, decides to retire from the Supreme Court. With an open seat, who will Trump choose to replace him?
4. Vladimir Putin launches a full-scale invasion of the Baltics, claiming they were illegally separated from Russia. Will the United States intervene militarily? 
5. Al-Shabaab militants launch a large-scale offensive, capturing Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. With the Somali government on the verge of collapse, should the African Union deploy more troops?
6. The Supreme Court overturns Obergefell v. Hodges, returning same-sex marriage laws to the states. How can LGBTQ+ advocacy groups respond to protect marriage rights?
7. The FARC and ELN form an official alliance, launching coordinated attacks on the Colombian government. With peace talks abandoned, how should Bogotá respond to the growing insurgency?
8. China establishes a naval blockade around Taiwan, shutting off access to food and energy. How will Trump respond?
9. The Trump administration gives approval for the 33 Illinois counties which voted to leave the Prairie State to become part of Indiana. Which regional state-secessionist movement is most likely to succeed next? 
10. A surprise nuclear weapons test in the Korean Peninsula rocks the world — and it’s not in North Korea. Now that South Korea has nuclear weapons, how will this impact the South Korea-US relationship? 
11. A popular uprising in Belarus topples the Lukashenko government, throwing the country into political chaos. With Russia poised to intervene, how can NATO respond? 
12. Elon Musk decides that trains are “woke” and DOGE announces that it’s suspending all government funding to Amtrak. What can be done to preserve American rail? 
13. A Category 5 hurricane devastates the Gulf Coast from Houston to Pensacola, causing mass evacuations and widespread infrastructure damage. Will FEMA be able to handle such a large-scale disaster?
14. Donald Trump accidentally refers to Istanbul as Constantinople on live television. Türkiye is furious, and decides to leave NATO. What impact will this have on European security?
15. Like many of the governments in the Lake Chad Basin over the last few years, the Nigerian government is toppled in a coup. How should Boko Haram best take advantage of this situation to consolidate power? 
16. China brokers a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, ending the war on terms favorable to Moscow. What impact will this have on America’s global influence?
17. A cyber attack from an unknown source knocks out the Continental Europe Synchronous Area power grid. With more than 400 million Europeans now in the dark, how should the EU react to stabilize the region? 
18. In a shocking escalation, Lashkar-e-Taiba sets off a dirty bomb in downtown Mumbai, India. With India scrambling to mitigate the damage, how should the US react to the catastrophe?