Topic/Resource List:

  1. U.S. Human Rights Intervention: The United States is justified in intervening in the internal political processes of other countries to attempt to stop human rights abuses.
  • SIRS Researcher: Search “Ethnic Relations”. Overview page article is titled “Should the U.S. and its Allies Intervene in Conflicts Where there are Human Rights Violations?” Perfect resource with a Pro/Con section, Essential Questions, and an abundance of helpful, targeted links.
  • Opposing Viewpoints in Context: Searching “Human Rights” opens up a host of options concerning intervention, on both the Pro and Con sides of the argument.
  1. U.S. Anti Drug Policy: The continuation of current U.S. anti-drug policies in Latin America will do more harm than good.
  • SIRS Researcher: Search “International War on Drugs” for a Pro/Con page with a series of targeted arguments and articles to support them.
  • Opposing Viewpoints in Context: “Topic Browse” then “Drug Trafficking” leads to a very comprehensive series of arguments on both sides of the issue
  • CQ Global Researcher: Entering “Drug Trafficking” and clicking the “Crime in Latin America” link results in a strong overview page with a lot of links and information.
  1. Islamic Fundamentalism: Is there a place for Islamic law in Western countries?
  • SIRS Researcher: “Islamic Fundamentalism” yields a great Pro/Con breakdown of the topic.
  • Opposing Viewpoints in Context: Searching “Sharia” yields great results, particularly in the “Viewpoints” section.
  • CQ Researcher: Searching “Sharia” leads to the overview that is the framing piece for the original question.
  1. Organ Trafficking: Can the smuggling of human organs be stopped?
  • CQ Global Researcher: Search “Organ Trafficking” and click the link for a fantastic overview page with targeted questions and viewpoints.
  • Opposing Viewpoints in Context: “Topic Browse”, “Organ Donation” results in an excellent argument page separated by Pro and Con sides.
  1. Nuclear Proliferation: Should the U.S. and other nuclear countries prevent non-nuclear countries from having these weapons?
  • SIRS Researcher: Enter “Nuclear Weapons” for an excellent Pro/Con breakdown of the topic and its various issues.
  • Opposing Viewpoints in Context: “Topic Browse”, “Nuclear Weapons” results in an excellent argument page separated by Pro and Con sides.
  • Global Issues in Context: “Browse Issues and Topics”, “Conflict and Diplomacy”, “Nuclear Proliferation”. Excellent resource with links to a ton of editorial and informational articles.
  • ABC Clio: Issues: “Issues”, “Nuclear Weapons and Nonproliferation” yields a solid overview of the topic.
  • CQ Global Researcher: Search “Nuclear Proliferation” for an excellent overview page with links and arguments neatly organized.
  1. European Union: Will the European Union survive?
  • SIRS Researcher: Search “European Union for a great breakdown of articles between Pro and Con sides.
  • CQ Global Researcher: Search “European Union” to find three excellent overview pages; “The New Europe”, “Future of the Euro”, and “Future of the EU”. Of the three, “Future of the EU” is probably the most applicable.
  1. Foreign Aid: Should the world give money to rebuild geographically challenged countries like Haiti and Bangladesh?
  • Global Issues in Context: “Browse Issues” then “Foreign Aid” results in a page offering a series of targeted viewpoints and articles dealing with the topic.
  • CQ Global Researcher: “Searching “Foreign Aid” yields a series of specific overview pages dealing with foreign aid. The most helpful one for this topic might be “Rebuilding Haiti”, which is an extremely strong resource.
  1. Social Programs: Can European countries like Greece, Spain, and Italy still afford to provide expensive social benefit programs in the face of extreme debt and economic crisis?
  • CQ Global Researcher: Search “Social Programs” for an overview article dealing with the topic “Can EU Nations Still Afford Expensive Welfare Programs?”
  1. Islamic Sectarianism: Can Sunni-Shiite hostilities be resolved?
  • CQ Global Researcher: Enter “Islamic Sectarianism” for an over view page titled “Can Sunni-Shiite Hostilities be Resolved?”.
  • Global Issues in Context: “Browse Issues”, “Society and Culture”, “Islam: Sunni and Shiite Dispute” offers a great series of targeted links to applicable articles.
  1. Iran: Should the U.S. launch a military strike against Iran in an attempt to halt its development of a nuclear weapon? Or should the U.S. continue to pursue diplomatic relations with Iran, while punishing its economy with sanctions?
  • CQ Global Researcher: Search “Iran” to find an overview page titled “Rising Tension over Iran”, which is probably the best resource available for the specific topic.
  • Opposing Viewpoints in Context: Searching “Iran” yields a portal page with a wealth of targeted articles and viewpoints dealing with the topic at hand.
  • Global Issues in Context: Search “Iran” for a portal page with an overview and selection of links to applicable articles, photos, and statistics.
  1. Military Deployment: The U.S. federal government should substantially reduce its military and/or police presence in one or more of the following: Afghanistan, Iraq, Japan, Kuwait, South Korea, and Turkey.
  • CQ Global Researcher: Search “Military Deployment” for a portal page focused on “World Peacekeeping: Do Nations-States have a ‘Responsibility to Protect?’”.
  • Opposing Viewpoints in Context: Search “Military Deployment” for a series of targeted articles for and against the continued U.S. presence in a variety of countries.
  • ABC Clio Issues: “Browse Topics”, “U.S. As World Power” for a more general informational take on the U.S. and its international military/police obligations.
  1. Democratization: Does fostering democracy abroad make the world safer? Or is it presumptuous of the U.S. to force other countries to adapt to the U.S. system of governance?
  • SIRS Researcher: Search “Democracy” to find a Pro/Con-based portal page that represents the single best source for this topic.
  • Opposing Viewpoints in Context: Search “Democracy” for a portal page featuring a wealth of articles concerning fostering democracy on an international level. A great place to start.
  • CQ Global Researcher: Searching “Demoratization” results in a series of overview pages focusing on whether democracy will succeed in specific countries/situations.
  • Global Issues in Context: “Conflict and Diplomacy”, “Democracy Movements” results in a solid portal pace offering a variety of extremely specific articles on the topic.
  1. Carbon Offsets: Should the world immediately reduce carbon emissions and reduce global warming if that cut-back leads to reduced jobs and a slowdown in business.
  • CQ Global Researcher: Search “Carbon Trading” for a solid Pro/Con treatment of the topic.
  • Opposing Viewpoints in Context: Select “Carbon Offsets” under “Topics” to find a great informational overview page. Great place to get started/learn where/how to look.
  • Global Issues in Context: Under “Environment and Climate Change” there are a variety of excellent possible options including “Climate Change: Mitigation Strategies”, “Carbon Footprint”, and specifically “Emissions Trading”.
  1. International Adoption: Should countries like Russia and China stop foreign adoption?
  • SIRS Researcher: “Leading Issues: International Adoption” is another excellent resource, offering its own Pro/Con series of targeted articles.
  • Opposing Viewpoints in Context: Searching “Adoption” yields a portal page including a variety of targeted articles about foreign adoption.
  • CQ Global Researcher: “Report Summary: International Adoption” offers an excellent Pro/Con treatment of the issue with a variety of links that make research for this topic remarkably easy.
  • Global Issues in Context: Searching “International Adoption” takes user to a portal page with a wealth of topic-specific articles.
  1. North Korean Aid: Should the world immediately send humanitarian aid to North Korea, or will that aid promote the current government?
  • CQ Global Researcher: Search “North Korea” and select the first result “North Korean Menace” for a solid Pro/Con setup of the topic with a well-organized series of pertinent links.
  • Opposing Viewpoints in Context: Select “North Korea” from “Topics” menu for a solid overview of the country and a portal page with more targeted articles.
  • Global Issues in Context: Search “North Korea” to find the “North Korea: Famine and International Aid” portal page, which compiles a huge amount of helpful links to aid the research process.
  1. Space and the Military: Should the world adopt a global treaty to prevent hostilities in space?
  • Facts on File: Issues and Controversies: Type in “Militarizing Space” for an excellent breakdown and series of links.
  • CQ Global Researcher: Search “Space”, and select the first result (“Space Weapons”) for a great Pro/Con breakdown of the need for international space treaties.
  • ABC Clio Issues: Browse “Issues” to find “Space and the Military: Overview”, which is a great place to start/familiarize oneself with the topic.
  1. Online Terrorism: Should international websites that promote terrorism be shut down, or does that violate the Western ideal of free speech?
  • Facts on File Issues and Controversies: “Crime and Terrorism” from Subject Index, then “Terrorism and Counterterrorism”, then “Cybersecurity”. Great Pro/Con breakdown, solid links, and a neatly-presented overview of the topic.
  • CQ Global Researcher: “Browse Reports by Topic”, then “Defense and National Security”, then “Cybersecurity” for a comprehensive Pro/Con workup of the topic. Some of the other options under the “Defense and National Security” umbrella involving terrorism more specifically will be helpful as well.
  • Opposing Viewpoints in Context: Find “Terrorism” under the “Browse Topics” menu for an overview and portal page. Necessary to sift through a significant amount of articles to find ones dealing with this topic specifically.
  1. U.N. Peacekeeping: The United Nations should be given a permanent military force so that it can intervene when the Secretary General believes it to be necessary.
  • Facts on File Issues and Controversies: “International Affairs” under “Subject Index” followed by “War, Weapons, and Military Forces”, then “U.N. Peacekeeping” results in a solid argument page for the topic.
  • SIRS Researcher: Search “United Nations” for a Pro/Con-based portal page offering a series of links germane to the topic.
  • CQ Global Researcher: “Browse Reports”, then “United Nations”, then “World Peacekeeping” for a well-organized Pro/Con-based overview page offering a wealth of information on the topic. Other options under the “United Nations” umbrella could prove equally useful.