A Republican Senate Majority in 2014: So Close, But Yet so Far by Shrinking the Margin of Error
Although this source is a blog, it provides an excellent resource for extempers looking for a quick overview of the 2014 Senate races. Since an easy, generic domestic politics question is to ask about these campaigns, this blog post can help guide extempers in the right direction and prepare them for those topics.
Nuclear Iran: A Glossary of Terms from The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Are you confused by some of the terminology surrounding Iran’s nuclear program? This excellent policy brief (make sure to download the .pdf) provides a dictionary for terms about Iran’s nuclear program and provides an updated overview of the topic. A fantastic resource for rookie and veteran extempers that have likely had to speak about this topic several times in their careers.
Obama reaches for moral high ground on drones, Gitmo from The Christian Science Monitor
Yesterday, President Obama gave an important foreign policy speech where he explained that the war on terrorism could not last forever, that American drone policy would be severely restricted to those who posed an imminent danger to the United States, and that Guantanamo Bay should be closed. This article explains the big ideas of Obama’s speech, centering mostly on drones and Gitmo.
Return to old-style terror from The Economist
The shocking murder of an offduty British soldier in London two days ago has brought home grown terrorism to Great Britain. The Economist offers its contemporary assessment of the incident in this article.
Boy Scouts to Allow Gay Youth from The Wall Street Journal
The Boy Scouts of America is overturning a longstanding ban on homosexuals becoming members of their organization. Sixty-one percent of leaders voted to end the ban, which came to national attention more than a decade ago and which the Supreme Court sanctioned in 2000.
Weiner Gets Started Stumping in New York City Mayoral Race from the Associated Press
Disgraced Congressman Anthony Weiner is returning to politics and is attempting to become the next mayor of New York City. This article provides a brief overview of Weiner’s appeal, or lack thereof to voters, and assesses the reactions to his candidacy from Democratic, Republican, and independent opponents.
Tokyo, Seoul hold ‘ugly’ nuclear option from The Asia Times
North Korea’s recent aggression may eventually cause Japan and South Korea to adopt independent nuclear arsenals, potentially setting the stage for a nuclear arms race in East Asia. The Asia Times breaks down this scenario for extempers in this piece.
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