2026 Admiral Jonathan T. Howe Academic WorldQuest Study Guide

Acknowledgements

The 2026 Academic WorldQuest (AWQ) Study Guide was created by the World Affairs Councils of America with input and support from the AWQ Task Force. We further gratefully acknowledge resource sponsorship from the Council on Foreign Relations, the Financial Times, Global Campaign for Education-US, and GlobalPost.

The 2026 Guide continues the tradition of offering resources and methods from multiple perspectives and media for preparing for AWQ including scholarly and newspaper articles, blogs, videos, and simulations. These sources are not behind paywalls, but some may limit the number of times you may access them for free. If such notices pop up the first time you access a given resource online, gather the information you need from the article immediately.

The Education Committee of the World Affairs Council of Jacksonville selects 6 out of 10 topics released by the World Affairs Council of America for the local competition. The following topics outlined below will appear in the February 2026 local competition.

If you notice broken links or other accessibility issues with any Study Guide resources, please notify our staff at Rachel@worldaffairscouncilsjax.org so that we can assist.

Round One

Round Description

In 1990, scholar Joseph Nye coined the term “soft power” to refer to how countries can influence others with means other than military force. Pop culture, broadly defined as popular mass media, has emerged as a potent form of soft power. Through this topic, you will explore how pop culture influences international relations, including as an exercise of soft power. You will also engage with contemporary instances of pop culture influencing global politics, its ability to change global attitudes in the internet age, and how countries like the US and China have recently shifted their cultural soft power approaches.

Round Sources

Council on Foreign Relations | What Is Soft Power?

Council on Foreign Relations | Soft Power (Simulation)

The Conversation | Is China the new cool? How Beijing is using pop culture to win the soft power war

University of Toronto | The China dream in Fiji: Migrant perspectives of the Belt and Road Initiative

Korean Cultural Center | Leading the Way in Video Games and E-Sports

Brill | Soft Power and Public Diplomacy Revisited

Time | How the U.S. Used Jazz as a Cold War Secret Weapon

Centre for Social and Economic Progress | India rising: Soft power and the world’s largest democracy

Round Two

Round Description

Human movement is a phenomenon as old as history. But migration (movement of people across international borders) is a topic with heightened significance today. According to the United Nations, more people than ever live in a country other than the one in which they were born. Immigration (movement into a country) and emigration (movement out of a country) are motivated by a host of factors. Delve into these “push” and “pull” factors shaping our world, as well as the effects of large-scale migration on countries and people affected.

Round Sources

Refugee Educational Advancement Lab, George Washington University | Three Reasons the U.S. Should Prioritize Education in Conflict and Crisis Settings

Council on Foreign Relations | For Migrants, Labels Matter

Council on Foreign Relations | Migration Today

UN Refugees | Syria Refugee Crisis Explained

PBS | How a small Wisconsin community is responding to a recent migrant surge

Gallup News | Desire to Migrate Remains at Record High

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace | Migrants at the Gate: Europe Tries to Curb Undocumented Migration

Crash Course | Where and Why Do People Move? Crash Course Geography #32

Round Three

Round Description

The question of how the Constitution shapes U.S. foreign policy is a rich one, with debates about constitutional power over foreign affairs as old as the nation. The Constitution makes the President the Commander in Chief, but gives Congress the ability to declare war. In this topic, especially relevant as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, you will study the history of these debates, as well as how constitutional concerns affect the modern foreign policy landscape. You will also examine to what extent values enshrined in the Constitution (democracy, human rights, and the rule of law) influence U.S. foreign policy.

Round Sources

Constitution Center | A Brief History of the Constitution and Tariffs

Council on Foreign Relations | What Roles Do Congress and the President Play in U.S. Foreign Policy?

Council on Foreign Relations | How a Single Phrase Defined the War on Terror

Bill of Rights Institute | The President as Chief Diplomat

Gallup News | Americans’ Foreign Policy Priorities, NATO Support Unchanged

Brookings | What does America’s foreign and military policy have to do with democracy?

Freedom House | A Freedom-focused Foreign Policy: Good for the United States, Good for the World

Quincy Institute | Americans, Go Home?

Round Four

Round Description

Since the end of the Second World War, openness to free international trade has increased markedly. More countries have signed agreements to allow free exchanges, and entities like the World Trade Organization have lowered trading barriers and increased the flow of capital and goods across borders. Some countries have maintained trade barriers consistently, while other countries have restricted once-free trade to protect domestic industries and jobs. In this topic, you will research tariffs, a signature tool used to raise trade barriers, as well as how attitudes towards global trade are changing in today’s geopolitical landscape.

Round Sources

Council on Foreign Relations | What Gets in the Way of Free Trade?

NPR | Tariffs: What are they good for?

UN Trade and Development | Key evolutions in trade and development over the decades

UN Trade and Development | The reshaping of global trade: How developing countries can strategize

Brookings | Why South-South trade is already greater than North-North trade—and what it means for Africa

Council on Foreign Relations | The Globe-Trotting Journey of a Sneaker

BBC | A timeline of global trade

Council on Foreign Relations | Trade as Foreign Policy

Round Five

Round Description

Coffee and chocolate are extremely lucrative goods whose trade is highly sought after. At the same time, concerns have developed surrounding those who farm these products and the environmental impact of these industries. Through this topic, you will research aspects of coffee and chocolate production, as well as efforts to institute ethical trade and consumption of these goods. You will also explore how COVID-19 affected the trade of coffee and chocolate.

Round Sources

BBC | How the World Came to Run on Coffee

Harvard International Review | Bittersweet: The Harsh Realities of Chocolate Production in West Africa

NPR | Fair Trade Helps Farmers, But Not Their Hired Workers

Fair Trade Certified | Fair Trade USA™ and Education in Ivory Coast

US Bureau of Labor Statistics | Historic coffee prices percolated after a bitter global supply crisis

Council on Foreign Relations | Climate Change and the Coffee Industry

Council on Foreign Relations | Trouble Brewing for Coffee

Corporate Accountability Lab | From Cote d’Ivoire to Chicago: The Impact of Covid-19 on Workers in the Chocolate Supply Chain

Round Six

Round Description

Nuclear power occupies a prominent place in the public consciousness. Atomic bombs and radiation are often the first terms that accompany a discussion of the word “nuclear,” but nuclear power is a much wider concept. In this topic, you will study how nuclear weapons factor into military strategy for the US and other nations, and efforts to prevent the spread of dangerous nuclear technology or even abolish nuclear weapons entirely. You will also explore civilian applications of nuclear power and debates over whether nuclear energy can meaningfully combat climate change.