While the death penalty has been utilized for centuries, we continue to debate the morality and efficacy of this punishment. Many people argue that the death penalty acts as a deterrent to potential murderers, terrorists, and other violent criminals. However, others find the death penalty completely incompatible with the ethical standards of modern civilization. Although some states have since outlawed the practice, the US remains one of few democracies to maintain the capital punishment.

One of today's most controversial topics, the abortion debate pits the rights of a mother against the rights of a fetus. The most common, clear-cut stances on the issue are "pro-choice" and "pro-life," which hinge on legal and moral considerations. Another common viewpoint is a more blended pragmatist view, which states that abortion should be prohibited except for specific cases.

Political candidates in a direct participatory democracy need to keep each and every member of their constituency (potential voter) informed about their platform, (if incumbent) their achievements, their person, and what distinguishes them from their rivals. This is a huge amount of information. Its dissemination to large constituencies requires outlandish amounts of money (tens of millions of dollars per campaign).

A centerpiece of President's Putin overhaul of Russia is the reversion to the Kremlin of the power to appoint governors, hitherto voted into office.

While for the most part NAFTA has increased trade volume and jobs in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, there are still some definite glitches in the agreement as can be seen with the recent steel tubing tariffs in Mexico.