Tournament: Georgetown | Round: 1 | Opponent: Westminster Schools ZC | Judge: Andres Gannon
1ac plan
The executive branch of the United States federal government should offer to ease restrictions on general licenses for non-tourist travel between the United States and Cuba.
1ac engagement
Contention 1 is ENGAGEMENT:
Migration talks with Cuba are ongoing – but de-linking is key to progress
López-Levy 13 (Arturo López-Levy, lecturer and Ph.D. candidate, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver, former political analyst for the Cuban government, M.A. International Affairs, Columbia University, M.A. Economics, Carleton University, “The Cuban Cargo Caper,” The National Interest, 7-26-2013, http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/the-cuban-cargo-caper-8782)
Earlier this month, Panamanian security forces seized an undeclared stash of weapons aboard the North Korean ship Chong Chon Gang. The revelation that the shipment was from Havana has sparked interesting speculation, with some commentators making references to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
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By following through with the bilateral talks while demanding application of the UN resolutions, President Obamaand#39;s administration has made the wise decision not to respond to irresponsible behavior with more of the same. Hopefully it will remain on that course.
Offering to ease travel restrictions spurs cooperation on mutual interests – like the environment and disaster prevention
García Iturbe 13 (Dr. Néstor García Iturbe, leading academic and foreign affairs expert of the Cuban Communist Party, “What should Obama do? The view from Cuba,” International Institute for the Study of Cuba, 2-18-2013, http://cubastudies.org/what-should-obama-do-the-view-from-cuba/)
Cuba’s official position¶ The revolutionary government of Cuba has always shown interest in the study of this issue and its willingness to analyze the proposals created for better climate between the two countries. The story picks up a number of facts that confirm what was said.
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Cuba has just issued new immigration regulations, to which the United States will surely have to respond.
That’s because the plan doesn’t try to change interests – just insulates disagreements
Rueckert 13 (Phineas Rueckert, Research Associate at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, “U.S.-Cuba Mail and Migration Talks: Opportunities and Limitations of Mutual Interest Cooperation,” Council on Hemispheric Affairs, 7-3-2013, http://www.coha.org/u-s-cuba-mail-and-migration-talks-opportunities-and-limitations-of-mutual-interest-cooperation/)
On June 18-19, Cuban and U.S. diplomats met with their postal service counterparts in Washington to discuss the possibility of ending the 50-year ban on direct mail service between the two nations, which has been in effect since 1963. On June 18, “knowledgeable sources” reported to El Nuevo Herald that the State Department and Cuban Foreign Ministry officials will hold talks to discuss migration policy starting July 17.
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As long as this policy is in place, movements toward a rapprochement will continue to be slow, uneven, and ultimately insufficient.
Improving environmental cooperation is key to global sustainable development AND environmental leadership
Conell 9 (Christina Conell, Research Associate, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, M.P.P. Public Policy, University of Virginia, B.A. Latin American Studies, Spanish Language, University of Virginia, “The U.S. and Cuba: Destined to be an Environmental Duo?” 6-12-2009, http://www.coha.org/the-us-and-cuba-an-environmental-duo/)
•Cuba’s abundant natural resources need to be protected with heightened vigilance ¶ •Lifting the trade embargo would open up the possibility for a constructive partnership between Cuba and the U.S. by developing compatible and sustainable environmental policies¶
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The key to a new dynamic in the U.S.-Cuba relationship might be to embark on a series of strategic actions that aim to establish a bilateral relationship for sustainable development and associated activities based on mutual respect and the autonomy of each country’s sovereignty and traditions.
Ecological resiliency is at the tipping point – sustainable development is key to survival
UNDP 12 (United Nations Development Programme, Biodiversity and Ecosystems Team, guided by senior management in UNDP, “The Future We Want: Biodiversity and Ecosystems—Driving Sustainable Development; United Nations Development Programme Biodiversity and Ecosystems Global Framework 2012-2020,” 2012, p.13, http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/Environment20and20Energy/biodiversity/UNDP-Biodiversity-and-Ecosystems-Global-Framework-2012-2020.pdf)
Human survival and wellbeing depend upon biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, and the goods and¶ services they provide. Yet, in recent decades, the world has experienced unprecedented biodiversity loss and¶ ecosystem degradation, undermining the very foundations of life on Earth.¶ Rapid demographic changes, overconsumption, and the use of technologies that damage the environment,¶ now combined with climate change, are pushing our planet to its limits.
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Major changes are¶ required in order to incorporate inclusive, resilient and sustainable development in global and national¶ development policies, and in institutions, attitudes, and decision-making processes.vii
Independently, perception of U.S. leadership spurs global action – checks short-term extinction
Khosla 9 (Ashok Khosla, President, International Union for Conservation of Nature, former Director, United Nations Environment Programme, recipient of the 2002 Sasakawa Prize, the Nobel Prize of the environmental community, authored over 300 professional papers, including 30 official UNEP documents, Ph.D. experimental physics, Harvard University, “A new President for the United States: We have a dream,” 1-27-2009, http://www.iucn.org/news_homepage/?2595/new-President-for-the-United-States-We-have-a-dream)
With all the fanfare and show business skills they possess, Americans last week welcomed their new President with an unprecedented display of support and joy.
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Can we hope that the citizens of his great nation can also do so? The fact that they elected him suggests, hopefully, that they have affirmed with a resounding “Yes, we can!”¶ And surely they and the rest of us have no longer a choice: just as clearly, we must.
Independently, cooperation on travel is key to data sharing and global pandemic containment
Discovery News 13 (Discovery News, “Could Cuba Help U.S. Fight Tropical Diseases?” 2-11-2013, http://news.discovery.com/human/cuba-help-fight-tropical-diseases-dengue-fever.htm)
When it comes to issues like the spread of infectious disease, increased collaboration with Cuba may just be good medicine. The Gist U.S. scientists and doctors are looking to Cuba for help with infectious diseases.
… Obtaining a U.S. license for conferences or research equipment involves mounds of paperwork and an answer can take months. Interest groups say these factors slow down the process of participating in projects that would otherwise prove to be a quick and efficient way of obtaining important medical data or learning new methods for curbing an epidemic.¶
Lack of Cuban medical data ensures containment failure – the only country which doesn’t report
Porcelain 13 (Sherri L. Porcelain, Adjunct Professor and Senior Lecturer in Global Public Health in World Affairs, and Director of the Disaster Research Program for Global Public Health, Department of International Studies, Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, and Instructor, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Ph.D. International Relations, International Development, and International Health Policy, University of Miami, Masters in Public Health, University of Miami, Certification in Primary Health Care Strategies in Developing Countries, University of London, Certification in Disaster Assistance Response Team Field Assessment Training, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance / USAID, “Cuba’s Silence is Dangerous to Your Health,” Focus on Cuba, Iss.197, 8-5-2013, http://ctp.iccas.miami.edu/FOCUS_Web/Issue197.htm)
After a century hiatus, cholera, malaria and dengue have returned to Cuba. This is no surprise since Cuba’s deteriorated water, sewage, sanitation and housing systems all create the ideal environment for rapid disease spread. Dengue, a mosquito borne viral disease, and cholera, a bacterial infection contracted by drinking water or eating food contaminated with a strain of cholera, present threats to both the local population and tourists visiting the island.
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A world that is forced to rely on rumors puts everyone at risk. Consequently, silence is dangerous to your health.
Drug-resistant pandemics are inevitable and have an invisible threshold
Conniff 13 (Richard Conniff, science journalist, writes for Time, Smithsonian, Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, Audubon Magazine, included in The Best American Science and Nature Writing in 2000, 2002, and 2006, Guggenheim Fellowship, Loeb Journalism Award, “Guardians Against a Global Pandemic: Inside the battle to protect all of us from the next Superbug,” Men’s Health, 4-8-2013, http://www.menshealth.com/health/guardians-against-global-pandemic?fullpage=true)
Last September, a 49-year-old Qatari man whoand#39;d recently traveled to Saudi Arabia was hospitalized in Doha with a nasty respiratory illness. He deteriorated rapidly, and doctors promptly airlifted him to a London hospital, where he wound up on life support with kidney and lung failure.
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West Nile has since spread to 48 states and killed about 1,500 in the United States. As bad as that outbreak was, afflictions that are far more widespread may yet come if what Dr. Cetron calls the and#34;invisible infrastructureand#34; of disease prevention ever falters.
The impact is extinction – reporting and containment are key
Collins 10 (Brenda Collins, Science Writer at Henry M. Jackson Foundation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes for Health, former Adjunct Professor of Microbiology, Marymount University, Ph.D. Microbiology, Meharry Medical College, B.A. Biology, University of Evansville, “The perfect microbial storm,” Baltimore Biology Examiner, 4-8-2010, http://www.examiner.com/article/the-perfect-microbial-storm)
According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), infectious diseases remain a worldwide problem and leading causes of death for the following reasons:¶ 1) emergence of new infectious diseases,
... Monitoring and response activities to areas of concern should greatly impact the prevention of disease emergence.
1ac enforcement
Contention 2 is ENFORCEMENT:
Massive sanctions licensing and investigation backlogs are resulting in enforcement failures now – collapses financial intelligence and risks WMD proliferation in the immediate term
Levin, et al 12 (Carl Levin, senior U.S. Senator (D) Michigan, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, former special assistant attorney general, Michigan Attorney General’s Office, graduate of Swarthmore College and Harvard Law School; Tom Coburn, junior Senator (R) Oklahoma, M.D. University of Oklahoma Medical School, B.S. Accounting, Oklahoma State University; David S. Cohen, Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, U.S. Department of the Treasury, former attorney at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, specializing in defense of regulatory investigations into financial fraud and anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance, J.D. Yale Law School, B.A. Cornell University; Leigh H. Winchell, Assistant Director for Programs, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; “U.S. Vulnerabilities to Money Laundering, Drugs, and Terrorist Financing: HSBC Case History,” testimony before the U.S. Senate, Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, 7-17-2012, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-112shrg76061/html/CHRG-112shrg76061.htm)
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR LEVIN¶ Senator Levin. Good morning, everybody. Todayand#39;s hearing ¶ will examine the money-laundering, drug-trafficking, and ¶ terrorist-financing risks created in the United States when a ¶ global bank uses its U.S. affiliate to provide U.S. dollars and ¶ access to the U.S. financial system to a network of high-risk ¶ affiliates, high-risk correspondent banks, and high-risk ¶ clients.¶ Most international banks have a U.S. affiliate.
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And so ¶ efficiency in how we do this and the worry about too much--in ¶ other words, for the next regulation, what are we achieving for ¶ it? Cost-effectiveness has got to be part of our concern as we ¶ look to handle this.¶ Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The plan is key to resolve enforcement backlogs and generate effective financial intelligence
Landau French 9 (Anya Landau French, Director for the U.S.-Cuba Policy Initiative at the New America Foundation, former Senior Fellow at the Lexington Institute, former International Trade Advisor to Chairman Max Baucus, Senate Finance Committee, M.A. International Education, George Washington University, B.A. English, “Options for Engagement: A Resource Guide for Reforming U.S. Policy toward Cuba,” Lexington Institute, April 2009, pp.42-43, http://www.lexingtoninstitute.org/library/resources/documents/Cuba/ResearchProducts/options-for-engagement.pdf)
Allocation of security resources to administer travel controls¶ In 2003, the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Senators ¶ Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Max Baucus of Montana, conducted a joint investigation of ¶ the U.S. Treasury Department’s efforts to track and shut down global financial networks ¶ exploited by terrorists.
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The GAO concluded that the high ¶ level of scrutiny of Americans returning from Cuba “may strain CBP’s Customs and ¶ Border Protection ability to carry out its mission of keeping terrorists, criminals, and ¶ other inadmissible aliens from entering the country.”193
That’s key to disrupting AND deterring WMD proliferation – prerequisite to all counter-measures
Passas 12 (Nikos Passas, Professor at Northeastern University, specializes in the study of corruption, terrorism, money laundering, targeted sanctions, organized and international crimes, Editor-in-Chief of Crime, Law and Social Change: An International Journal, member of the Board of Directors of the International Society of Criminology, J.D. University of Athens, Ph.D. University of Edinburgh, M.A. University of Paris II, “Financial Controls and Counter-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction,” Case Western Reserve University Journal of International Law, 44(3), 6-3-2012, http://law.case.edu/journals/JIL/Documents/(11)20Passas20Corrected.pdf)
Neither the use of financial sanctions as a tool to apply pressure on governments nor controversies and diverse interpretations of their effects are new.
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Research and policy energies and brainpower ought to be invested in the quite-feasible61 task of collecting and analyzing the data; rendering them traceable; matching them; producing investigative leads; building the “big picture” of crime and security threats; and leading to pragmatic, sustainable strategies.
Current risks are ahistorical – cascading breakouts AND non-state acquisition make deliberate AND accidental nuclear conflict inevitable
Heisbourg 12 (François Heisbourg, Chairman, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Chairman, Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Special Adviser, Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique, Member, International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, former First Secretary, French Permanent Mission to the United Nations, dealing with international security and disarmament issues, former Professor of World Politics, Sciences-Po Paris, “Nuclear Proliferation – Looking Back, Thinking Ahead: How Bad Would the Further Spread of Nuclear Weapons Be?” 3-4-2012, http://www.npolicy.org/article_file/Nuclear_Proliferation_-_Looking_Back_Thinking_Ahead_How_Bad_Would_the_Further_Spread_of_Nuclear_Weapons_Be.pdf)
SUMMARY: a re-visit of past proliferation helps understand the¶ dangers of the further spread of nuclear weapons.¶
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Their common characteristics are extreme radicalism, high levels of operational proficiency, and shared enmity of India. Their potential for triggering a conflict between the two countries is substantial, above and beyond the intentions of government officials.
Optimists are wrong – cascading prolif ensures extinction
Kroenig 12 (Matthew Kroenig, Assistant Professor of Government, Georgetown University, Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, former CFR International Affairs Fellow in the Department of Defense, former strategist in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Ph.D., M.A. Political Science, University of California Berkeley, A.B. History, University of Missouri, “The History of Proliferation Optimism: Does It Have A Future?” Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, 5-26-2012, http://www.npolicy.org/article.php?aid=1182andtid=30)
Proliferation Optimism: Proliferation optimism was revived in the academy in Kenneth Waltz’s 1979 book, Theory of International Politics. 29 In this, and subsequent works, Waltz argued that the spread of nuclear weapons has beneficial effects on international politics.
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When we think about future nuclear crisis dyads, such as India and Pakistan and Iran and Israel, there are fewer sources of stability that existed during the Cold War, meaning that there is a very real risk that a future Middle East crisis could result in a devastating nuclear exchange.
AND, bioweapons acquisition and weaponization are increasingly likely – enforcement is key
Danzig 5 (Richard Danzig, consultant to the U.S. government on biological terrorism, former Secretary of the Navy, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Center for New American Security, Senior Advisor and Nunn Prize Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Senior Fellow at the Center for Naval Analyses, Trustee of the RAND Corporation, member of the Department of Defense Policy Board, the U.S. Military European Command Advisory Board, and the Presidentand#39;s Intelligence Advisory Board, Bachelor of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy, Oxford University, Rhodes Scholar, J.D. Yale Law School, B.A., Reed College, “Proliferation of Biological Weapons into Terrorist Hands,” in The Challenge of Proliferation: A Report from the Aspen Strategy Group, ed. Kurt M. Campbell, The Aspen Institute, 2005, http://www.aspeninstitute.org/sites/default/files/content/docs/asg/asgdanzigchallenge.pdf)
Because of their relative ease of purchase and development, biological weapons have been called¶ “the poor man’s nuclear bomb.”
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Unfortunately, the relative simplicity of the five steps described above and¶ the diversity of routes through which they may be accomplished suggests that, though proliferation¶ of biological weapons may be constrained and complicated,¶ non-proliferation initiatives will likely fail¶ against a determined and resourceful adversary.
Attempts are likely in the next few months
Green 13 (J.J. Green, National Security Correspondent, WTOP, reports daily on intelligence, foreign policy, terrorism and global security, contributor to Janeand#39;s Intelligence Review, formerly embedded with the U.S. military in Afghanistan three times and embedded with the U.S. Air Force in Iraq, recipient of the 2009 National Edward R. Murrow Award, as well as more than two dozen regional and local awards, graduated magna cum laude, Hampton University, “Counterterrorism agency working against the clock,” WTOP, 2-19-2013, http://www.wtop.com/41/3228148/Counterterrorism-agency-working-against-the-clock)
Matthew Olsen swung open his door shortly after 3 p.m. More than a half dozen people were waiting, with writing tools and notes in hand. Judging from their varied expressions, there was good and bad news.
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and#34;They are able to provide for myself and the other senior leaders here situational awareness,and#34; he says. ¶ Even with more awareness, there seems to be less time to act.
Impact is extinction – no burnout
Sandberg, et al 8 (Anders Sandberg, Research Fellow, Future of Humanity Institute, Oxford University; Jason G. Matheny, Ph.D. candidate, Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, special consultant, Center for Biosecurity, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center; and Milan M. ?irkovi?, Senior Research Associate, Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade, Assistant Professor of Physics, University of Novi Sad, Serbia and Montenegro; “How can we reduce the risk of human extinction?” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 9-8-2008, http://www.thebulletin.org/web-edition/features/how-can-we-reduce-the-risk-of-human-extinction)
The risks from anthropogenic hazards appear at present larger than those from natural ones.
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While such an event seems unlikely today, the likelihood may increase as biotechnologies continue to improve at a rate rivaling Mooreand#39;s Law.
1ac solvency
Contention 3 is SOLVENCY:
The executive can unilaterally ease restrictions on non-tourist travel
Sullivan 12 (Mark P. Sullivan, Specialist in Latin American Affairs, Congressional Research Service, “Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances,” CRS Report for Congress RL31139, 11-9-2012, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL31139.pdf)
Overview of the U.S. Restrictions¶ Since the United States imposed a comprehensive trade embargo against Cuba in the early 1960s,¶ there have been numerous policy changes to restrictions on travel to Cuba. The embargo¶ regulations do not ban travel itself, but place restrictions on any financial transactions related to¶ travel to Cuba, which effectively result in a travel ban.
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This legislative provision essentially¶ circumscribes the authority of the executive branch to issue travel licenses for activities beyond¶ the broad categories of travel allowed, and would have to be amended, superseded by new¶ legislation, or repealed in order to expand categories of travel to Cuba or lift travel restrictions¶ altogether.
This avoids AND empirically denies any turns – simply returns to Clinton-era policy
Gibson 10 (William E. Gibson, Sun-Sentineland#39;s Washington bureau chief for 25 years, has covered six presidential elections and 13 sessions of Congress, studied journalism at the University of Kansas and Columbia University, “Cuba travel promoters gear up,” Sun-Sentinel, 9-2-2010, http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/dcblog/2010/09/cuba_travel_promoters_gear_up_1.html)
The unofficial word in Washington is that the Obama administration plans to relax limits on travel to Cuba for professional, educational and artistic purposes.
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Relaxed rules that make it easier for special groups to visit the island is the next incremental step toward closer engagement with Florida’s estranged neighbor.
AND, travel is increasing – no offense
Gibson 13 (William E. Gibson, Sun-Sentineland#39;s Washington bureau chief for 25 years, has covered six presidential elections and 13 sessions of Congress, studied journalism at the University of Kansas and Columbia University, “Jay-Z and Beyoncé tour stokes desire to visit Cuba,” Sun-Sentinel, 6-2-2013, http://www.sun-sentinel.com/fl-cuba-travel-congressional-push-20130602,0,7448204.story)
Jay-Z and Beyoncéand#39;s controversial trip to Cuba four weeks ago has stoked public interest in traveling to the forbidden island, prompting more Americans to seek similar and#34;people-to-peopleand#34; culture tours.¶ Insight Cuba, the first and largest of the Cuba tour groups,
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said U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, after returning from Havana in April. and#34;But I think the policy of embargo and isolation over 50 years hasnand#39;t improved that situation. We need to try something new.and#34;