Academic WorldQuest inspires a culture of global engagement in schools across the United States.

Acknowledgements

The 2027 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 Foreign Policy Association, and GlobalPost in the Classroom.

The 2027 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 podcasts. These sources are not behind paywalls, but some may limit the number of times you may access them for free. If you see such notices the first time you access a resource online, gather the information you need from the article immediately.

This page will always note the date of the most recent update, currently September 15, 2026. If you find broken links or other accessibility issues with any resource, please notify our staff immediately at waca@worldaffairscouncils.org so that we can assist.

AWQ Academic Integrity Statement:

AI can be a helpful tool as you prepare for Academic WorldQuest, but it should not replace your learning of the material. You are responsible for understanding and knowing the material, not simply for finding the right answer. The goal of preparation is to build your own knowledge and skills so that you are ready for the competition, where you will be using your own intelligence rather than relying on external resources. AI can make mistakes, so always verify important information using the study guide sources below.

Round: Current Events

This yearly dive into the news tests your knowledge of what is happening around the world while helping you identify larger trends across current events. The required sources below are designed to help you think more critically about the information you encounter. Understanding the broader narratives shaping current events can help you make more informed decisions, participate in important discussions as young leaders, and consider how you can contribute to your community.

Please note:

Questions for local competitions may be selected from articles published by the sources below from September through November 2026. Please consult your local Council to confirm the applicable sources and date range.

Questions for the National Competition in April 2027 will be selected from articles published by the sources below from January through March 2027.

GlobalPost

GlobalPost’s Global Education Initiative provides free subscriptions to college and high school students around the world. GlobalPost’s mission is to promote greater knowledge of the world and to help shape the next generation of well-educated citizens of both this country and the wider world. Sign up today at: https://globalpost.com/signup/.

Optional: Educators can also download a new Study Guide to help incorporate GlobalPost into classrooms for free here: https://globalpost.com/education/#study-guide.

Round: The European Union

The European Union is one of the world’s most ambitious experiments in regional integration, bringing together 27 countries through shared institutions, economic policies, and political cooperation. Through this topic, you will explore the history and institutions of the European Union, how its member states make decisions and pursue common policies, and the challenges facing European integration in a changing geopolitical landscape. Lithuania, as a member state holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2027, provides a contemporary case study of how individual countries participate in and shape the EU.

The World Affairs Councils of America extends its gratitude to the Delegation of the European Union to the United States for its assistance in curating a selection from these resources.

European Union | History of the EU

European Union | Types of Institutions and Bodies

European Union | How EU Policy is Decided

European Union | EU Enlargement

European Parliament | Why the EU is rethinking its trade strategy

Council of the European Union | EU Relations with the United States

Council of the European Union | Press statement by President Costa following the meeting with President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania | Lithuania and the EU

Round: Great Decisions 2027

Foreign Policy Association’s annual Great Decisions Briefing Book provides the resources for America’s largest discussion program on world affairs. This year’s Academic WorldQuest focuses on two Great Decisions topics from the 2027 Briefing Book: American Foreign Policy and the Future of Multilateralism and American Options in the Middle East.

Great Decisions will be published in January 2027, and resources will be added to the AWQ website as they become available. Depending on the timing of your local competition, this year’s Great Decisions topics may not yet be available. Please check with your local Council for information about resource availability for your competition. Great Decisions topics will be included for national competition testing.

Round: The Impact of AI on International Relations

Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming a question of international power and national security. Nations and companies compete to develop advanced AI systems, while governments confront new challenges involving cybersecurity, information warfare, terrorism, and the governance of emerging technologies. This topic examines how AI is reshaping global competition, from media landscapes to nuclear challenges.

CFR Education | How Does AI Influence Government?

CFR | How Experts Think AI Will Change the Global Balance of Power by 2035

World Economic Forum | Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2026: Key Findings

NPR | How AI Chatbots and AI Overviews Parse Foreign Propaganda

Modern War Institute at West Point | Data Center Warfare: Defending the Key Terrain of AI Infrastructure

War on the Rocks | Putting Armageddon on Autopilot: How Artificial Intelligence Could Make Nuclear Threats More Effective

The Conversation | Slopaganda wars: how (and why) the US and Iran are flooding the zone with viral AI-generated noise

London School of Economics | What direct risks does AI pose to the climate and environment?

Round: The Tug-of-War Over Natural Resources

Water and mineral resources are essential to human societies, economic development, and the global transition to new energy technologies. These unevenly distributed and increasingly contested resources present opportunities for cooperation and sources of conflict. Through this topic, you will explore why natural resources have become increasingly important to international and economic security, how countries manage scarce resources, and how resource extraction affects communities and the environment.

CFR Education | What is Water Scarcity?

CFR | The Global Water Crisis: Stress, Scarcity, and Conflict

UN Water | Transboundary Waters

UN Trade & Development | Critical minerals, critical decisions: Industrial policy for the energy transition

CSIS | Greenland, Rare Earths, and Arctic Security

Chatham House | The rare earths race risks environmental disaster

NPR | Countries are negotiating rules to mine the deep sea. The U.S. is pushing ahead alone.

East Asia Forum | Policies that enable China’s critical minerals edge

Round: Global Health & Pandemic Preparedness

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that health crises rarely stop at national borders. Health infrastructure, humanitarian assistance, and international cooperation around global health issues can affect the prosperity of our global community. This topic explores various global health challenges, from healthcare inequities to humanitarian emergencies, as well as the obstacles facing international health cooperation.

OECD Development | The Response of International Philanthropic Organisations to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Section 4: “What lessons from the pandemic can support future philanthropy?” (p. 34–38)

PLOS Global Public Health | How do local-level authorities engage in epidemic and pandemic preparedness activities and coordinate with higher levels of government? Survey results from 33 cities

The Lancet Global Health | From commitment to governance: what should the 2026 UN high-level meeting on pandemic preparedness deliver?

PBS | How Are We Preparing For the Next Pandemic?

TIME | We Aren’t Ready for the Next Pandemic. This Game Proves It

Economics Observatory | How could US foreign aid cuts affect global public health?

United Nations World Food Programme | 2026 Ebola outbreak: Key facts, symptoms and why it’s driving hunger in Africa

Stanford Medicine | Can generative AI tackle global health problems?

Round: Gen Z Political Paradigms

Members of Generation Z (people born between 1997 and 2012) are changing how political information is consumed, how movements organize, and how young people engage with governments around the world. Social media allows political movements to spread rapidly across borders while creating new challenges in the forms of misinformation and political polarization. This topic explores how Generation Z participates in politics and how digital platforms are reshaping young people’s political involvement.

Pew Research | Majorities in most countries surveyed say social media is good for democracy

CIRCLE – Tufts University | Youth Rely on Digital Platforms, Need Media Literacy to Access Political Information

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism | Digital News Report 2025

Johns Hopkins University Press Journal of Democracy | Why Gen-Z is Rising

BBC | Are Gen Z movements reshaping politics? (podcast)

CFR | How Global Gen Z Protests Have Shocked and Transformed Governments

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace | The Promises and Pitfalls of the Social Media–Fueled Gen-Z Protests Across Asia

Yale Institution for Social and Policy Studies | Yale Youth Poll Finds Split in Gen-Z Political Views

Round: International Relations at the Movies

As a tool of cultural diplomacy and soft power, cinema wields the ability to influence international audiences. Some governments censor or restrict films that challenge political narratives, while filmmakers and distributors navigate increasingly important international markets. Through this topic, you will explore the relationship between cinema and international relations, including the ways that movies can shape a country’s image abroad.

Brand Finance | Global Soft Power Index 2026: A global mood shift

Stimson | The Power of US Cultural Diplomacy: Cinema Subsection

CFR | Anatomy of a Film Tariff: Trump’s Proposed Movie Tariffs Cast a Shadow on Cannes

CFR Education | Big in China: The Global Market for Hollywood Movies

CSIS ChinaPower | Do Chinese Films Hold Global Appeal?

Irregular Warfare Center | Foreign Governments’ Investments in Entertainment and Movies as Instruments of Soft Power and Influence in Irregular Warfare

Georgetown Journal of International Affairs | Sympathy for the K-Drama

Project Syndicate | Whatever Happened to Soft Power?

Round: Powering Up Energy Security

Access to reliable and affordable energy is a matter of national security. Oil and gas supplies, energy infrastructure, transportation routes, electricity grids, and emerging technologies can all become sources of geopolitical leverage or vulnerability. Through this topic, you will explore the relationship between energy and national security, the geopolitical importance of oil and gas, strategic energy chokepoints, and the ways changing energy systems are reshaping international relations.

Brookings | From chokepoint to crisis: The Strait of Hormuz and global oil markets

NPR | Why it’s so hard for world leaders to bring down oil and gasoline prices

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace | Our Shared Energy Security: Why the U.S. and Its Energy-Poor Allies Must Coinvest in Solutions—and How

World Economic Forum | Africa’s energy trilemma: Achieving security, equity and sustainability

World Economic Forum | How LNG is helping to deliver responsible energy security

Business Council of Canada | North American Energy Security: A Proposal for Greater Cooperation

Atlantic Council | How the US can turn an energy emergency into an opportunity for resilience

Associated Press | Energy fallout from Iran war signals a global wake-up call for renewable energy

Round: Global Debt and Assistance

Governments and international institutions play important roles in helping countries manage financial crises and pursue economic development. At the same time, soaring debt burdens have raised questions about debt sustainability, economic sovereignty, and the changing balance of financial power. This topic explores the mechanisms of international lending and foreign assistance, the challenges facing developing economies, and the evolving roles of the United States and China as notable lenders.

UN Trade & Development | A World of Debt: Report 2025

International Monetary Fund | IMF Lending Factsheet

World Bank International Development Association | Sustainable Development Finance Policy

CFR Education | What is U.S. Foreign Aid?

NPR Illinois | China is now the biggest debt collector in the developing world, report says

CFR | Global Debt Crises Foreshadow a Perilous Path for the United States

East Asia Forum | China’s growing role in Southeast Asia’s debt resilience

Reuters | UNESCO urges wider use of debt-for-education swaps