Tournament: Iowa Caucus | Round: 1 | Opponent: Bloomington FZ | Judge: Juan Garcia

Text: The United States Federal Government should end its economic embargo with the Republic of Cuba while maintaining its restrictions on agricultural exports.

Embargo triggered Cuba’s shift to sustainable agriculture, lifting the embargo will crush it

Gonzalez ’03 (Carmen G. Gonzalez, Assistant Professor, Seattle University School of
AND
and economic pressure from the United States and from the global trading system.
Agriculture PIC

The embargo pushed Cuba to rely on bio-diversification through agriculture

Nigel Hunt ’08 (Nigel Hunt, owner of Cubaism LTD Has a BSc in Biology 26 Geology from Goldsmiths College, University of London. He has studied the Cuban culture and agriculture prospects, both currently and from the past.)("THE AGRICULTURE HISTORY IN CUBA." 2008, http://www.cubaagriculture.com/cuba-agriculture-history.htm-http://www.cubaagriculture.com/cuba-agriculture-history.htm)(PLeon)
Then the situation couldn’t have looked gloomier, but in one of the extraordinary bursts
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had also to be kept up in order to earn vital foreign exchange.

====Biodiversity is key in agriculture====
Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity ’08 (Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.)("Biodiversity and Agriculture: Safeguarding Biodiversity and
Securing Food for the World," 5/22/08, Ministry of Environmental Protection, http://english.mep.gov.cn/down_load/Documents/200806/P020080603430792943555.pdf-http://english.mep.gov.cn/down_load/Documents/200806/P020080603430792943555.pdf)(PLeon)
Biodiversity is the basis of agriculture. Its maintenance is essential for the production of
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consumption, and landscape-level planning that ensure the preservation of biodiversity.

Biodiversity loss causes ecosystem collapse and human extinction

David Diner, 1994, (JD Ohio State, Military Law Review, Winter, l/n)

Biological Diversity. — The main premise of species preservation is better than simplicity.
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from an aircraft’s wing, mankind may be edging closer to the abyss.

Tournament: Dowling | Round: 2 | Opponent: Eagan BS | Judge: Tews, Rich

Aid Tradeoff DA

USAID has trimmed it’s budget – reforms are underway but reduced Latin Aid is key

Morales 4/25
("USAID chief defends budget in Congress," pg online @ https://www.devex.com/en/news/usaid-chief-defends-budget-in-congress/80790-https://www.devex.com/en/news/usaid-chief-defends-budget-in-congress/80790 um-ef)
Why will 45 percent of food aid budget be spent to buy locally-produced
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. We’ve hired 1,100 new staff because of the Development Initiative."

Foreign Policy Budget is Zero-Sum – Each Dollar trades-off with other efforts

Sessions 2k6
(Myra, Center for Global Development program coordinator, "The PMI Turns One - How Will We Measure Success?," pg online @ http://www.cgdev.org/blog/pmi-turns-one-how-will-we-measure-success-http://www.cgdev.org/blog/pmi-turns-one-how-will-we-measure-success)**
Thanks for the comment and question, Michael. I have not done the analysis
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a part of the conversation about the successes and opportunities of the initiatives.

And, Earmarks for SPECIFIC countries hamstring the budget – forces prioritization and collapses effective programs

Norris et al 2k12
(John Norris, Executive Director of the Sustainable Security and Peacebuilding Initiative at the Center for American Progress. He has served in a number of senior roles in government, international institutions, and nonprofits. John previously served as the Executive Director of the Enough Project at American Progress. John was the chief of political affairs for the U.N. Mission in Nepal as that country tried to emerge from a decade-long war. Previously, John served as the Washington chief of staff for the International Crisis Group, conducting extensive field work and senior-level advocacy for resolving conflicts in South Asia, Africa, and the Balkans. Earlier in his career, John served as the director of communications for U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott. He also worked as a speechwriter and field disaster expert at the U.S. Agency for International Development.and Connie Veillette, "Engagement Amid Austerity," pg online @ http://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2012/05/pdf/foreign_aid.pdf-http://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2012/05/pdf/foreign_aid.pdf um-ef)
Congress and the White House often differ on foreign policy and spending priorities, and
AND
with the Hill and engaging Congress in a genuine dialogue on policy approaches.

That Ensures a Foreign Policy Nightmare – Collapses U.S. Leadership and results in multiple scenarios for conflict

Kolbe 2k11
(Jim Kolbe, a former Republican Member of Congress from Arizona’s 8th District, is a Senior Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and a Senior Advisor to McLarty Associates. Connie Morella, a former Congresswoman from Maryland’s 8th District and former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, is Ambassador in Residence at American University. "Why Congress Shouldn’t Slash Foreign Aid - The Daily Caller," pg online @ http://www.partnership-africa.org/content/why-congress-shouldnE28099t-slash-foreign-aid-daily-caller-http://www.partnership-africa.org/content/why-congress-shouldnE28099t-slash-foreign-aid-daily-caller um-ef)
With a Congressional budget showdown all but inevitable, U.S. foreign assistance
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civilian tools of U.S. foreign policy more effective and accountable.

Tournament: Blake | Round: 1 | Opponent: GBN DK | Judge: Hurwitz, Jacob

Algae CP

Text: The United States federal government should amend relevant definitions in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to include algae-derived fuels eligible for all tax credits, subsidies, and price supports..

Amending the RFS to include price supports for algae spurs green crude production. This provides clean renewable fuel – solves energy dependence and breaks the food/fuel link

Jason Pyle (Chief Executive Officer, Sapphire Energy) June 12 2008 "Renewable Fuels And Food Prices," CQ Congressional Testimony
First, let me thank the Committee for its leadership on alternative, renewable fuels
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crops, or other natural resources. Sapphire has turned sunlight into gasoline. 

Food/fuel link creates unique risks for escalation – food spikes now exacerbates current economic conditions – causes rampant civil conflict *gender modified*

Manila Times November 5 2008 "Let’s attend to food security", http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/nov/05/yehey/opinion/20081105opi1.html
He tells the world that the economic meltdown now afflicting the globe is gripping (
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30 countries and contributed to the fall of at least one elected government.

Food conflict would lead to massive global wars.
Julian Cribb, principal of JCA, fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, 2010, The Coming Famine: The Global Food Crisis and What We Can Do to Avoid It, http://books.google.com/books?id=Tv0zXxbQ7toC26printsec=frontcover26dq=the+coming+famine26hl=en26sa=X26ei=RR_mT7OYFKeq2gXP5tHZCQ26ved=0CDUQ6AEwAA~~23v=onepage26q=the20coming20famine26f=false
The character of human conflict has also changed: since the early 1990S, more
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changes, because of the synergetic character of the things that power it.

Tournament: Blake | Round: 1 | Opponent: GBN DK | Judge: Hurwitz, Jacob
OFFCASE
Neolib and the Algae CP, see other cites

ONCASE

CUBAN ECONOMY

No civil war risk
Wong-Diaz, 6 – professor of law, political science and international relations at the City College of San Francisco(Francisco, "CASTRO’S CUBA: QUO VADIS?" December, http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/pub744.pdf

This monograph examines alternative scenarios in the twilight of Fidel Castro and in a post
AND
Rice publicly stated that the Bush administration had no intention to invade Cuba.

Economic reform under the regime will inevitably fail without political reform- it’s a prerequisite
Allen 12 – editor for Democracy Digest (Michael, Democracy Digest, "http://www.demdigCuba reforms fail because regime ’not ready to let go’", December 10, 2012, http://www.demdigest.net/blog/2012/12/cuba-reforms-fail-because-regime-not-ready-to-let-go/)//EK

"It’s the first instance of Cuba’s leader not being able to get done what he said he would," said Jorge I. Domínguez, vice provost for international affairs at Harvard. "The published statistical results are really very discouraging." The reforms are failing to inject much dynamism into the island’s moribund economy, demonstrating that the regime has ’has lost the ideological battle’, observers claim. The project’s failure highlights the tensions within the ruling Community Party’s attempt to reconcile free markets with authoritarian politics, along the lines of the Market-Leninist regimes in Vietnam and China, analysts suggest: "It’s about control," said Philip Peters, a Cuba analyst with the Lexington Institute, a Virginia-based research group. Other analysts agree, noting that though the agricultural reforms have gone farther than other changes — like those that allow for self-employment — they remain constrained by politics. "The government is not ready to let go," said Ted Henken, a Latin American studies professor at Baruch College. "They are sending the message that they want to let go, or are trying to let go, but what they have is still a mechanism of control." Desperate for foreign revenue, Cuba’s government is suppressing news of a major cholera outbreak for fear of alienating tourists. "We have to question whether the Cuban government today prioritizes their need for tourism … more than local public health demands," wrote Sherri Porcelain, a public health expert at the University of Miami and researcher at its Institute for Cuban and Cuban American Studies. - See more at: http://www.demdigest.net/blog/2012/12/cuba-reforms-fail-because-regime-not-ready-to-let-go/~~#sthash.IeERtvek.dpuf

Plan kills Midwestern economy and the domestic ethanol sector.

Specht ’12
(Jonathan – Legal Advisor, Pearlmaker Holsteins, Inc. B.A., Louisiana State University, 2009; J.D.,¶ Washington University in St. Louis 2012. "Raising Cane: Cuban Sugarcane Ethanol’s Economic and Environmental Effects on the United States" – ExpressO – http://environs.law.ucdavis.edu/issues/36/2/specht.pdf)

Absent a scenario in which the RFS was raised at the same time as U
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espoused, especially¶ after the policy-makers had supported the industry. 

That’s key to the US economy.

Dinneen ’13
Bob Dinneen, President and CEO, Renewable Fuels Association¶ House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power Hearing;¶ "Overview of the Renewable Fuel Standard: Stakeholder Perspectives." (Part One); Congressional Documents and Publications – July 23, 2013 – lexis
It is important to remember that a central objective in developing a vibrant and robust
AND
paid $7.9 billion in federal, state and local taxes.

Avoiding US economic decline key to global economy.

BW ’13
(internally quoting Dr. Venkatesh Bala, chief economist at The Cambridge Group, a part of Nielsen – Business Wire – February 5, 2013 – lexis)
"North America is slowly but steadily heading in the right direction," said Dr
AND
will serve as the critical engine of improved global economic activity in 2013."

Global economic decline causes nuclear war

Auslin ’9
(Michael, Resident Scholar – American Enterprise Institute, and Desmond Lachman – Resident Fellow – American Enterprise Institute, "The Global Economy Unravels", Forbes, 3-6, http://www.aei.org/article/100187)
What do these trends mean in the short and medium term? The Great Depression
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may be a series of small explosions that coalesce into a big bang. 

Sugar Ethanol

====Alt causes to bird migration hazards====
Cornell Lab of Ornithology ’05 (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a world leader in the study, appreciation, and conservation of birds. Hallmarks are scientific excellence and technological innovation to advance the understanding of nature and to engage people of in learning about birds and protecting the planet.)("All About Birds : Migration," 11/25/05, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/studying/migration/)(PLeon)

Migration hazards: Taking a journey that can stretch to a round-trip distance of several thousand miles is a dangerous and arduous undertaking. It is an effort that tests both the birds’ physical and mental capabilities. The physical stress of the trip, lack of adequate food supplies along the way, bad weather, and increased exposure to predators all add to the hazards of the journey. 

Their own 1AC author indicates alt causes to honey bee decline

Herrmann 11 (Lynn Herrmann, writer at Digital Journal, "Report: World Bee Decline Signals ’Sixth Major Extinction,’" Digital Journal, March 11, 2011, http://digitaljournal.com/article/304525)

Among the factors contributing to declines of honey bee populations is habitat deterioration. Human
AND
European honeybees and as of 2009, had colonized almost half of France.

And their ocean acidification card concedes that it’s irreversible for at least TENS of thousands of years- means their impact is inevitable. AND the card also indicates that international actors solve either way.

Romm ’9
(Joe, a Fellow at American Progress and is the editor of Climate Progress, which New York Times columnist Tom Friedman called "the indispensable blog" and Time magazine named one of the 25 "Best Blogs of 2010.? In 2009, Rolling Stone put Romm ~#88 on its list of 100 "people who are reinventing America." Time named him a "Hero of the Environment? and "The Web’s most influential climate-change blogger." Romm was acting assistant secretary of energy for energy efficiency and renewable energy in 1997, where he oversaw $1 billion in RandD, demonstration, and deployment of low-carbon technology. He is a Senior Fellow at American Progress and holds a Ph.D. in physics from MIT, "Imagine a World without Fish: Deadly ocean acidification — hard to deny, harder to geo-engineer, but not hard to stop — is subject of documentary ," http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2009/09/02/204589/a-sea-change-imagine-a-world-without-fish-ocean-acidification-film/, AM)

Ocean acidification is irreversible on timescales of at least tens of thousands of years." They conclude: Ocean acidification is a direct consequence of increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. To avoid substantial damage to ocean ecosystems, deep and rapid reductions of global CO2 emissions by at least 50 by 2050, and much more thereafter are needed. We, the academies of science working through the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP), call on world leaders to: "¢

No impact to biod or warming - species and environments adapt
Times ’9
"Experts say that Fears Surrounding Climate Change are overblown", 6 November 2009, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article6905082.ece, ~Zheng~ 

Alarming predictions that climate change will lead to the extinction of hundreds of species may
AND
comfortable with, they don’t just die, they move," he said. 

No Solvency Cuba burns Sugarcane
Pippo, et. al, University of Havana, ’07 (W. Alonso, P. Garzone, G. Cornacchia, "Agro-Industry sugarcane residues disposal: The Trends of their conversion into energy carriers in Cuba", 2007, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956053X06001498, accessed 7/22/13, JF)
The introduction of mechanized sugarcane harvesting combined with the technological improvements in power co-
AND
network and all SCC are connected by train to the nearest mill factory.

Sugarcane burning causes massive emissions
Tsao et al. ’11 (Nature and Climate Change, "Increased estimates of air-pollution emissions from Brazilian sugar-cane ethanol", 11 December 2011, http://jacaranda.unab.cl/other/papernatureclimate.pdf, accessed 7/22/13, JF)
Accelerating biofuel production has been promoted as an opportunity to enhance energy security, offset
AND
have larger impacts on regional climate forcing and human health than previously thought.

Can’t re-build sugar sector – unworkable land and long-time frame.

Soligo ’10
et al; Ronald Soligo is a professor emeritus of economics at Rice University and a Rice scholar at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. The author writes a chapter within the book "Cuba’s Energy Future: Strategic Approaches to Cooperation," a Brookings Publication, edited by Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, PhD of Political Science, University of Nebraska –obtained as an ebook through MSU Electronic Resources – page 102

Three and a half billion gallons seems unrealistic for the foreseeable future. There is
AND
water and fertilizer, and other inputs would all need to be considered.

Tournament: None | Round: 1 | Opponent: All | Judge: 

Email stargirlstar27@gmail.com for cites or questions 

Note: if you tried emailing me before, send another email if necessary. The previously posted email does not work.====

Tournament: Morgan Park | Round: 1 | Opponent: Brooks TS | Judge: Ryan Timmis

Neoliberalism K

Economic engagement with Latin America strengthens the hands of exploitative capital.  

Jorge NEF Director of Latin American and Caribbean Studies @ South Florida AND Alejandra RONCALLO IR @ Bucknell ’10 "Latin America and the New Pax Americana" in Latin American Identities After 1980 eds. Yovanovich and Huras p.  3-7

Introduction In the last three decades, the Americas, with the exception of Cuba
AND
of the global political economy (GPE)" (1999, 900) .

Neoliberal engagement in the Americas ensures structural violence, environmental collapse and insecurity.  Our impact subsumes the case.

Jorge NEF Director of Latin American and Caribbean Studies @ South Florida ’8 "Insecurity, Development, and Democracy" in Capital, Power, and Inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean eds. Harris and Nef p. 142-147

Thus, from a long-range structural perspective, social upheavals, some of
AND
security and the well-being of the vast majority of its peoples.

Our alternative – Decolonize engagement.  We should question the politics of space and knowledge that make engagement an economic tool of manipulation.

Catherine WALSH Estudios Culturales Latinoamericanos de la Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar  ’12 "The Politics of Naming" Cultural Studies 26:1 p. 117-122

Cultural Studies, in our project, is constructed and understood as more than a
AND
only one of our options, and part of the politics of naming.

Tournament: Morgan Park | Round: Semis | Opponent: Niles West JD | Judge: -

Republicans pressured to pass bill – elections backlash

O’Keefe 11/7/13 - Ed O’Keefe is a congressional reporter with The Washington Post. He is a frequent guest of radio and television programs on BBC, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, NPR, and PBS. O’Keefe holds a Bachelor of political science from American University (Ed, "New push for immigration reform will target 9 House Republicans", Washington Post, November 7 2013, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/11/07/new-push-for-immigration-reform-will-target-9-house-republicans/-http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/11/07/new-push-for-immigration-reform-will-target-9-house-republicans/)//CB**

With a year to go until the midterm elections, immigration reform advocates hoping to
AND
, executive director of America’s Voice, a leading national immigration advocacy group.

Infrastructure spending drains capital - escalates fights with GOP

Tomasky ’11 (Newsweek/Daily Beast special correspondent Michael Tomasky is also editor of Democracy: A Journal of Ideas – Newsweek – September 19, 2011 – lexis)
Finally, Barack Obama found the passion. "Building a world-class transportation
AND
looking around America today, can anyone seriously conclude that this is working?

Politics (CIR)

Obama’s PC key to pass immigration by the end of the year

Epstein 10/17/13 – Reid J. Epstein is a reporter for Politico. Before that, he worked at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He also was the New York correspondent for the Ottawa Citizen, and interned at The Wall Street Journal. He graduated from Emory University — where he was editor in chief of the student newspaper — and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (Reid, "Obama’s latest push features a familiar strategy", Politico, October 17 2013, http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/barack-obama-latest-push-features-familiar-strategy-98512.html-http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/barack-obama-latest-push-features-familiar-strategy-98512.html)//CB**

President Barack Obama made his plans for his newly won political capital official — he’s
AND
. This can and should get done by the end of this year."

CIR solves aerospace crisis

Garn 13
~Jake, retired U.S. senator, "Welcome the Best and Brightest," Salt Lake Tribune, 4/6/13, http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/56094765-82/system-immigration-reform-america.html.csp-http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/56094765-82/system-immigration-reform-america.html.csp~~

"It’s no wonder that so many of the world’s best and brightest want in
AND
want to speak their minds, or Russia because there’s more hope here."

Aerospace decline causes global nuclear war

Pfaltzgraff 10 – Robert L, Shelby Cullom Davis Professor of International Security Studies at. The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and President of the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, et al., Final Report of the IFPA-Fletcher Conference on National Security Strategy and Policy, "Air, Space, 26 Cyberspace Power in the 21st-Century", p. xiii-9

Deterrence Strategy In stark contrast to the bipolar Cold War nuclear setting, today’s security
AND
that airpower would play in U.S. strategy and crisis management.

Tournament: Maine East | Round: 4 | Opponent: New Trier DZ | Judge: Christopher Callahan
Renewables CP

(Note: this is mainly against THA)

Text: The United States Federal Government should increase renewable ~non-hydrocarbon~ energy assistance with Mexico.

Renewable Transition is critical to solve global warming
Leahy, ’11 (Stephen, Independent environmental journalist for 16 years, "Permafrost Melt Soon Irreversible Without Major Fossil Fuel Cuts", Feb 21, http://www.countercurrents.org/leahy210911.htm)

UXBRIDGE - Thawing permafrost is threatening to overwhelm attempts to keep the planet from getting
AND
future, but we must start now," Leape said in a statement. 

The impact is billions of deaths.

Cummins ’10
(Ronnie, International Director – Organic Consumers Association and Will Allen, Advisor – Organic Consumers Association, "Climate Catastrophe: Surviving the 21st Century", 2-14, http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/02/14-6)

The hour is late. Leading climate scientists such as James Hansen are literally shouting
AND
and the fossil fuel lobby appear determined to maintain "business as usual."

Then this card was under their environment advantage to help the CP.

Reliance on oil production crushes the transition to renewables

CBO, 2012 (Congressional Budget Office, "Energy Security in the United States", May, http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/05-09-EnergySecurity.pdf)

Even if world oil prices declined as a result of increased U.S.
AND
the vulnerability of most consumers to disruptions in oil markets largely unchanged.38

Tournament: Lane Tech | Round: Quarters | Opponent: Walter Payton MY | Judge: -
Renewables DA

Renewable Energy is winning the investment race, beating oil

American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE), California Clean Energy Fund (CalCEF), and Climate Policy Initiative 6/25 (ACORE, a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization, is dedicated to building a secure and prosperous America with clean, renewable energy. ACORE provides a common educational platform for a wide range of interests in the renewable energy community, focusing on technology, finance and policy. We convene thought leadership forums and create energy industry partnerships to communicate the economic, security and environmental benefits of renewable energy. Founded in 2004, the California Clean Energy Fund (CalCEF) is a family of non-profit organizations working together to accelerate the movement of clean energy technologies along the continuum from innovation to infrastructure. Using tools from finance, public policy and technological innovation, CalCEF pursues these goals at the local, state and national levels via three affiliated entities: CalCEF Ventures, an evergreen investment fund; CalCEF Innovations, which leads CalCEF’s analysis and solutions development; and CalCEF Catalyst, an industry acceleration platform. Climate Policy Initiative is an analysis and advisory organization that works to improve the most important energy and land use policies in the world. An independent, not-for-profit organization supported in part by a grant from the Open Society Foundations, CPI has offices and programs in Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, and the United States. "Strategies to Scale-Up U.S. Renewable Energy Investment" http://www.oregonwave.org/wp-content/uploads/Strategies-to-Scale-Up-US-Renewable-Energy-Investment.pdf)

Private sector investment in the U.S. renewable energy sector has grown significantly
AND
to produce more of the energy we consume here in the United States. 

Once foreign investment is introduced, oil production will increase

King 12, their own author,  – M. Dawn King is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Brown University’s Center for Environmental Studies. She earned her Ph.D. in Environmental Politics at Colorado State University and worked as a policy analyst for the U.S. Geological Survey – conducting research on environmental decision-making models and internal governance of watershed management councils. ("Cuban Sustainability: The Effects of Economic Isolation on Agriculture and Energy", March 21, 2012, http://wpsa.research.pdx.edu/meet/2012/kingmdawn.pdf-http://wpsa.research.pdx.edu/meet/2012/kingmdawn.pdf, p.14)

While only a limited amount of data is available for Cuba, the World Bank
AND
and the ability to substitute LNG for crude oil as a power source.

Reliance on oil production crushes the transition to renewables

CBO, 2012 (Congressional Budget Office, "Energy Security in the United States", May, http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/05-09-EnergySecurity.pdf)

Even if world oil prices declined as a result of increased U.S.
AND
the vulnerability of most consumers to disruptions in oil markets largely unchanged.38
Renewable Transition is critical to solve global warming
Leahy, ’11 (Stephen, Independent environmental journalist for 16 years, "Permafrost Melt Soon Irreversible Without Major Fossil Fuel Cuts", Feb 21, http://www.countercurrents.org/leahy210911.htm)

UXBRIDGE - Thawing permafrost is threatening to overwhelm attempts to keep the planet from getting
AND
future, but we must start now," Leape said in a statement.

Tournament: Lane Tech | Round: 3 | Opponent: Lane Tech VW | Judge: Elyse Conklin
Russian Oil DA

Russian economy extremely vulnerable to collapse in price of oil, SQUO will gradually approach brink of 24100 per barrel

Adomanis, Forbes Contributor on Russian Economics and Demographics, ’13 (Mark, "Crude Oil is Still Really Expensive, So Russia Will Probably Stay Stable", March 14, 2013 http://www.forbes.com/sites/markadomanis/2013/03/14/crude-oil-is-still-really-expensive-so-russia-will-probably-stay-stable/-http://www.forbes.com/sites/markadomanis/2013/03/14/crude-oil-is-still-really-expensive-so-russia-will-probably-stay-stable/, accessed 7/19/13, JF)

I had mentioned it before, but Ben Judah of the European Council on Foreign
AND
it’s going to continue to function as a crutch for Russia’s current regime. 

Increased Venezuelan oil production causes a sharp decline in global oil prices.

RT News ’13 ("Chavez’s death opens oil industry questions for Venezuela," March 6th, 2013, http://rt.com/business/chavez-venezuelan-death-oil-887/) J.N.E
The news of the Venezuelan leader’s death has had a moderate impact on crude prices
AND
political transition with optimism, and investors are eyeing more friendly market policies.

Decline in oil prices tanks Russia’s economy—they’re too oil dependent

Oprita, 2012, (Antonia Oprita is the deputy news editor at CNBC.com) ("Are Oil Exports Russia’s Curse as Well as Its Blessing?") (June 21^st) (RICHARD M)

One of the biggest risks for Russia’s economy is the fact that it has become
AND
lower for a while, but that could quickly wrap up I think." 

Russian economic decline causes domestic instability and nuclear launch—risks extinction

Oliker and Charlick-Paley 2002 (Olga and Tanya, RAND Corporation Project Air Force, "Assessing Russia’s Decline," www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1442/-http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1442/)

What challenges does today’s Russia pose for the U.S. Air Force and
AND
was caused by epidemic, war, or a nuclear/industrial catastrophe.

Tournament: Iowa Caucus | Round: 1 | Opponent: Bloomington FZ | Judge: Juan Garcia
Security K

Affs concept of securitizing to preserve hegemony authorizes global violence along racial lines.

Amy Kaplan, Prof. of English @ Univ. of Pennslyvania, ’3 ~American Quarterly 56.1, "Violent Belongings and the Question of Empire Today," p. muse~
Another dominant narrative about empire today, told by liberal interventionists, is that of
AND
Indians and slaves to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. 

The dream of security produces apocalypse– constructions of existential risk produce the annihilation they are meant to escape
Pever Coviello, Prof. of English @ Bowdoin, 2k ~Queer Frontiers, p. 39-40~
Perhaps. But to claim that American culture is at present decisively postnuclear is not
AND
or otherwise, seems a civic initiative that can scarcely be done without.

Alternative – Reject the affirmative’s security logic – only resistance to the discourse of security can generate genuine political thought
Mark Neocleous, Prof. of Government @ Brunel, 2008 ~Critique of Security, 185-6~
The only way out of such a dilemma, to escape the fetish, is
AND
that ’securitizing’ an issue does not mean dealing with it politically, but bracketing

Tournament: All | Round: 1 | Opponent: All | Judge: -

Shunning DA

Cuba is a persistent human rights violator

Miami Herald 13 — Miami Herald, 2013 ("Human rights under abuse in Cuba," Editorial, April 22^nd, Available Online at http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/04/22/3358813/human-rights-under-abuse-in-cuba.html~~23storylink=cpy, Accessed 07-03-2013)

The State Department’s latest report on human-rights practices effectively puts the lie to
AND
who demand a genuinely free Cuba. Fundamental reform? Not a chance.

OR

Mexico is a persistent human rights violator

Pachico 13 — Elyssa Pachico, Analyst at InSight Crime—a think tank about organized crime in the Americas, 2013 ("Amnesty International Critiques Human Rights Abuses of Mexico Drug War," InSight Crime, May 23^rd

In its annual report, Amnesty International criticized Mexico for human rights abuses committed during
AND
both in terms of protecting human rights and fighting organized crime more effectively. 

OR

Venezuela is persistent human rights violator

Halvorssen 12 — Thor Halvorssen, Venezuelan Human Rights Advocate, President of the Human Rights Foundation—an organization devoted to protecting liberty in the Americas, Columnist for the Huffington Post, holds graduate degrees in Political Science and History from the University of Pennsylvania, 2012 ("A Tyrannical Victory at the Human Rights Council?," The Global Journal, November 13^th, Available Online at http://theglobaljournal.net/article/view/895/, Accessed 07-22-2013)

The Venezuelan government has continually engaged in human rights violations. Arrests, incarceration,
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and with a track record of ignoring the international decisions of the Council. 

Moral duty to shun.

Beversluis 89 — Eric H. Beversluis, Professor of Philosophy and Economics at Aquinas College, holds an A.B. in Philosophy and German from Calvin College, an M.A. in Philosophy from Northwestern University, an M.A. in Economics from Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. in the Philosophy of Education from Northwestern University, 1989 ("On Shunning Undesirable Regimes: Ethics and Economic Sanctions," Public Affairs Quarterly, Volume 3, Number 2, April, Available Online to Subscribing Institutions via JSTOR, p. 17-19)

A fundamental task of morality is resolving conflicting interests. If we both want the
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failure as tacit complicity in the willful, persistent, and flagrant immorality.

Tournament: Lane Tech | Round: Quarters | Opponent: Walter Payton MY | Judge: 

They’re not topical — "engagement" is economic contacts.

Resnick 1 – Dr. Evan Resnick, Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Yeshiva University, "Defining Engagement", Journal of International Affairs, Spring, 54(2), Ebsco
A REFINED DEFINITION OF ENGAGEMENT
In order to establish a more effective framework for dealing with unsavory regimes, I propose that we define engagement as the attempt to influence the political behavior of a target state through the comprehensive establishment and enhancement of contacts with that state across multiple issue-areas (i.e. diplomatic, military, economic, cultural). The following is a brief list of the specific forms that such contacts might include:
DIPLOMATIC CONTACTS
Extension of diplomatic recognition; normalization of diplomatic relations
Promotion of target-state membership in international institutions and regimes
Summit meetings and other visits by the head of state and other senior government officials of sender state to target state and vice-versa
MILITARY CONTACTS
Visits of senior military officials of the sender state to the target state and vice-versa
Arms transfers
Military aid and cooperation
Military exchange and training programs
Confidence and security-building measures
Intelligence sharing
ECONOMIC CONTACTS
Trade agreements and promotion
Foreign economic and humanitarian aid in the form of loans and/or grants
CULTURAL CONTACTS
Cultural treaties
Inauguration of travel and tourism links
Sport, artistic and academic exchanges (n25)
Engagement is an iterated process in which the sender and target state develop a relationship
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hope that this will precipitate political change from below within the target state.
This definition implies that three necessary conditions must hold for engagement to constitute an effective
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, and the near-total collapse of its national economy.(n28)
Third, the target state must perceive the engager and the international order it represents as a potential source of the material or prestige resources it desires. This means that autarkic, revolutionary and unlimited regimes which eschew the norms and institutions of the prevailing order, such as Stalin’s Soviet Union or Hitler’s Germany, will not be seduced by the potential benefits of engagement.
This reformulated conceptualization avoids the pitfalls of prevailing scholarly conceptions of engagement. It considers the policy as a set of means rather than ends, does not delimit the types of states that can either engage or be engaged, explicitly encompasses contacts in multiple issue-areas, allows for the existence of multiple objectives in any given instance of engagement and, as will be shown below, permits the elucidation of multiple types of positive sanctions.

That’s a voting issue for limits – economic contracts creates a stasis point for engagement. They allow any aff that creates the possibility for engagement – those are infinite.

Tournament: Morgan Park | Round: Semis | Opponent: Niles West JD | Judge: -

T-G2G

Interpretation - Engagement requires DIRECT talks – means both governments must be involved

Crocker ’9 ~9/13/09, Chester A. Crocker is a professor of strategic studies at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, was an assistant secretary of state for African affairs from 1981 to 1989. "Terms of Engagement," http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/opinion/14crocker.html?_r=126~~

PRESIDENT OBAMA will have a hard time achieving his foreign policy goals until he masters
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realistic options and, hence, to modify its policies and its behavior.

Violation – The affirmative is not engagement – they use an intermediary actor

Reject the team

Limits – not limiting engagement to the 2 governments involved blows the lid off the topic – justifies the involvement of international organizations, non-governmental actors, and private companies

Ground – direct engagement with the government is the only stable basis for negative ground – both governments must be involved to gain links to international politics DA’s, explicit QPQ’s, and relations based disadvantages

Tournament: Dowling | Round: 2 | Opponent: Eagan BS | Judge: Tews, Rich

Victims K

THE LOGIC OF VICTIMHOOD AND PROTECTION SUSTAINS THE U.S. SECURITY STATE THROUGH AGGRESSIVE SPIRALS OF WAR AND INSECURITY.

YOUNG 2k3 – Department of Political Science @ University of Chicago (Iris Marion. "THE LOGIC OF MASCULINIST PROTECTION: REFLECTIOSN ON THE CURRENT SECURITY STATE." SIGNS, 29:1)

A security state is what every state would have to be if Hobbes were right
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American and European feminists as protectors of oppressed women in Asia and Africa.

TURNS CASE- THE AFFS POLITICS OF PROTECTION MAKES WOMEN THE SYMBOLIC AND SILENT GROUND OF POLITICS, NOT ACTORS, PERPETUATING CYCLES OF INSECURITY AND VIOLENCE.

STABILE AND RENTSCHLER 2k5 – Associate Professor in the Department of Journalist and Mass Communication @ University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee  Assistant Professor of Communication Studies in the Department of Art History and Communication Studies at McGill University (Carol A. Stabile and Carrie Rentschler. NWSA Journal 17.3 (2005) vii-xxv, States of Insecurity and the Gendered Politics of Fear)

Institutionalizing Insecurity Today’s war
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din of militarism, aggression, and androcentric self-interest.

THE ALTERNATIVE IS TO REJECT THE 1AC TO CONTEST REALITY.

WE ADVOCATE A GENEALOGICAL REEVALUATION OF HIERARCHIES OF POWER.

Mohanty 91 - Assistant Professor of Women’s studies and tbe Sociology of Education at Oberlin College (Chandra Talpade. "Third World Women and the Dolitics of Feminism. p. 34-35)

Similarly, in the last two decades, numerous publishing houses in different countries have
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one site for the production of this knowledge and this consciousness.