Tournament: Wake Forest | Round: 1 | Opponent:  | Judge:
Contention 1 is Democracy
1) Lack of Cuban internet means it's highly unlikely for democracy to take place
Mohr 7(Lakindra Mohr, She works at SAIS, graduated magna cum laude from Boston College Law School in December 2010 and has joined the Anti-Corruption and Corporate Intelligence unit at PricewaterhouseCoopers, "Of Note: State Control of the Internet Reins in Cuba's Future", Summer-Fall 2007, https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2andik=8a86c5fe8eandview=attandth=140031ba708dc9abandattid=0.1anddisp=inlineandrealattid=f_hjer1f2y0andsafe=1andzwandsaduie=AG9B_P8Gs-RuwbuAi6bczqI6mnYCandsadet=1374441730174andsads=WA0JKJ7E7-RCKjixKyXisIfzYrU) AZ
One of the components that Juan López identifies as missing in Cuban civil society is
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to cultivate and support a prolonged, broad based opposition movement anytime soon.
2) US involvement in internet advocacy key to freedom of expression and democracy
Fontaine and Rogers 11 Richard Fontaine and Will Rogers, “Internet Freedom A Foreign Policy Imperative in the Digital Age”, Center for a New American Economy, June 2011, pg. 10 http://www.cnas.org/files/documents/publications/CNAS_InternetFreedom_FontaineRogers_0.pdf TH
The United States has a long history of providing diplomatic and financial support for the
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up for the right of people everywhere to determine their own destiny.”12

3) Freedom of Information is a fundamental human right that promotes democracy, clarity, and government accountability
Anne Nderi 08, Staff writer for Pambazuka News, September 18 2008, Freedom of information is democracy's cornerstone, http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/comment/50592  PML
Freedom of information is a fundamental human right and the touchstone of all freedoms to
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more sensitive, accountable and responsive to the needs of its citizens. ¶
4) The plan’s creation of widespread Internet access creates democratic governmental reforms
O’Grady 12 (Mary, editor of the Wall Street Journal and member of the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board since 2005, writes predominantly on Latin America and is a co-editor of the Index of Economic Freedom, Why Socialist Cuba Prohibits Social Media, 3/25/12, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304724404577299510054444278.html)

'There's a reason the people in Cuba don't have access to the Internet. It
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, judging from the lengths they are going to keep it from happening.

5) Cuba is a model for economic democracy – this will spillover globally
Keith Harrington, 1/17/2013. (Former Maryland and Washington D.C. Field Director for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, currently pursuing a master’s degree in economics and leading NEI's Campus Network affiliate group at the New School for Social Research in Manhattan, and is a contributing writer on climate, energy and the new-economy at several publications including Truthout, Grist.org, Alternet, and the Huffington Post. “New Cuba: Beachhead for Economic Democracy Beyond Capitalism,” Truthout, http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/13918-the-new-cuba-a-beachhead-for-economic-democracy-we-should-support, ak)
The year 2012 may have been the United Nation's International Year of Cooperatives, but
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word and helping plug the gap in the media's coverage of Cuba's transition. 

6) Democracy promotion prevents terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and internal conflict
Rice, 05 (Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state.” The Promise of Democratic Peace: Why Promoting Freedom Is the Only Realistic Path to Security” 12-11-05. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/09/AR2005120901711.html)
Since its creation more than 350 years ago, the modern state system has always
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of fancy; it is the only realistic response to our present challenges.
7) Terrorism causes extinction
Morgan, 9 - Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Yongin Campus - South Korea
(Dennis, Futures, November, “World on fire: two scenarios of the destruction of human civilization and possible extinction of the human race,” Science Direct)
In a remarkable website on nuclear war, Carol Moore asks the question ‘‘Is
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, to a life of unimaginable misery and suffering in a nuclear winter.
8) Proliferation causes global nuclear war
Taylor, 01 (Former nuclear weapons designer and chairman of NOVA, 2001. “Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons”)
Nuclear proliferation – be it among nations or terrorists – greatly increases the chance of
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, the small nuclear war could easily escalate into a global nuclear war.

Contention 2 is Cuban economy
Cuba’s economy is collapsing around them and they are clinging to unsustainable practices. Only modernizing and eliminating inefficiencies can solve
Leogrande and Thomas 2
(William M. LeoGrande is Professor of Government in the School of Public Affairs at American University. Julie M. Thomas is finishing her PhD dissertation at the School of Public Affairs, American University. Cuba's Quest for Economic Independence Published May 2002 http://www.jstor.org/stable/3875792 . Accessed 7/18/13 CSmith)

Having finally escaped dependency on sugar, Cuba runs some risk of becoming dependent on
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Cuba's monetary dualism. Thus the status quo seems untenable in the long run

Cuban instability collapse causes Latin American instability and terror attacks
Gorrell, Lieutenant Colonel, 2005
(Tim, “CUBA: THE NEXT UNANTICIPATED ANTICIPATED STRATEGIC CRISIS?” March 18, Online: http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA433074)

Regardless of the succession, under the current U.S. policy, Cuba’s
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the Americas. A proactive policy now can mitigate these potential future problems.

These attacks will deploy biological weapons against the US.
Bryan, director of the North-South Center’s Caribbean Program, 2001
(Anthony, “Terrorism, Porous Borders, and Homeland Security: The Case for U.S.-Caribbean Cooperation,” October 21, Online:
http://www.cfr.org/publication/4844/terrorism_porous_borders_and20_homeland_20security.html)

Terrorist acts can take place anywhere. The Caribbean is no exception. Already the
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else to the clandestine manufacture and deployment of biological weapons within national borders.

Biological weapon use results in extinction.
Steinbruner, Senior fellow at Brookings, 1997
(John, “Biological weapons: a plague upon all houses,” Foreign Policy, Winter, Proquest)

Although human pathogens are often lumped with nuclear explosives and lethal chemicals as potential weapons
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for a global contagion of this sort but not necessarily its outer limit.

ICT solves long term economic sustainability and innovation in Cuba
Piccone et all 10
(Ted Piccone, senior fellow and deputy director for Foreign Policy at Brookings Bridging Cuba’s Communication Divide: How U.S. Policy Can Help Published July 2010 http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/events/2010/7/1520cuba20communications/07_cuba_telecommunications_piccone.pdf /Accessed 7/17/13 CSmith)

Access to information and communication technologies, including the internet and mobile phones, goes
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step forward in economically empowering a new, independent generation of Cuban citizens.

1AC Plan
Thus the plan: The United States federal government should grant access to modern satellite, internet and mobile communications services and provide all necessary support for information communication technology to the Republic of Cuba.

Contention 3 is Solvency
1) Cuba will say yes – willingness to promote ICT in the future proves
Karpova 12 Lisa Karpova, “Cuba reaffirms desire to extend and promote use of social networks”, December 14th, 2012, http://english.pravda.ru/news/science/14-12-2012/123173-cuba_social_networks-0/ TH
Cuba's government on Wednesday confirmed its willingness to extend and promote use of social networks
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initiative has graduated in different courses a figure greater than three million people. 

2) Only the US can set the groundwork for ICT
Piccone, Sabatini and Saladrigas 10 Theodore J. Piccone, Christopher Sabatini and Carlos Saladrigas, “Bridging Cuba’s Communication Divide: How U.S. Policy Can Help”, U.S.-Cuba Relations  at BROOKINGS,http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/events/2010/7/1520cuba20communications/07_cuba_telecommunications_piccone.pdf
Cuba is not exempt from these challenges. The Castro regime clearly needs to expand
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the technology,  experiences and applications of ICT to economic  and humanitarian activity. 

2) US foreign policy is key to advancement of Internet in Cuba
Taylor C. Boas 2K(a junior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, SUMMER 2000, The Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Washington Quarterly . 23:3 pp. 57–67,pdf, ak)
Cuba is a case in point. In the aftermath of the Cold War,
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such an environment, the Internet has brought no political change to Cuba.

3) No backlash from Cuba – foreign activists and government policies are on board
Fontaine and Rogers 11 Richard Fontaine and Will Rogers, “Internet Freedom A Foreign Policy Imperative in the Digital Age”, Center for a New American Economy, June 2011, pg. 13 http://www.cnas.org/files/documents/publications/CNAS_InternetFreedom_FontaineRogers_0.pdf TH
Autocratic governments routinely ¶ denounce Internet freedom-related activities as ¶ imposing American values
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to make a stronger argument that Internet freedom is truly a global effort.

US aid in building Cuba’s ICT will allow for a regime change and political liberties
Bolstad 12 Erika Bolstad, “Internet could lead to regime change in Cuba, Sen. Marco Rubio says”, McClatchy Newspapers, http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/03/21/142690/internet-could-lead-to-regime.html#.UengLo2TiSp TH
WASHINGTON — The Cuban regime as led by the Castro brothers would fall — and
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They own this plantation, this island, they have it pretty good."

Tournament: New TRier | Round: 3 | Opponent: GBS DL | Judge: somebody whose name I cannot spell
Contention 1 is Oil Spills:

Cuban oil drilling inevitable. The embargo only locks-out US safety experts.

LaGesse ’12
David LaGesse¶ reporter, with recent articles that have appeared in National Geographic, Money, and most frequently in U.S. News 26 World Report – National Geographic News – November 19, 2012 – internally quoting Jorge Piñon, a former president of Amoco Oil Latin America (now part of BP) and an expert on Cuba’s energy sector who is now a research fellow at the University of Texas at Austin.– http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/11/121119-cuba-oil-quest/
But an energy-poor Cuba also has its risks. One of the chief
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a major find. But that doesn’t mean Cuba will give up trying.

Embargo fails and stops pro-active approach to spills.

Helman ’11
Christopher Helman – Forbes Staff: Southwest Bureau covering Houston, the US energy capital – Forbes – "U.S. Should Drop Cuba Embargo For Oil Exploration" – December 12^th – http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2011/12/12/u-s-should-drop-cuba-embargo-for-oil-exploration/
In a few months Spanish oil company Repsol will start drilling for oil off the
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its people and scrounge for spare parts from the rest of the world.

US Tech’s key to Cuban Oil development

Benjamin-Alvarado ’10
Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, PhD of Political Science, University of Nebraska, 2010, "Cuba’s Energy Future: Strategic Approaches to Cooperation," a Brookings Publication – obtained as an ebook through MSU Electronic Resources – page 125

As mentioned often throughout this book, the potential of Cuba’s offshore oil reserves may
AND
this area as part of energy resource development and production-sharing scenarios.

Independently, hurricanes cause spills. Quick reaction also needed.

Stephens ’11
et al, Sarah Stephens – Executive Director of the Center for Democracy in the Americas – "As Cuba plans to drill in the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. policy poses needless risks to our national interest," http://democracyinamericas.org/pdfs/Cuba_Drilling_and_US_Policy.pdf

The BP disaster highlights the needs for a timely response to spills, the¶
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needs to be done—and can be done—under current law.

Aff boosts reaction time. US Experts solve best.

Zakaria ’11
Fareed Rafiq Zakaria is a journalist and author. From 2000 to 2010, he was a columnist for Newsweek and editor of Newsweek International. In 2010 he became editor-at-large of Time. He is the host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, Global Public Square. He is also a frequent commentator and author about issues related to international relations, trade, and American foreign policy – "Why our Cuba embargo could lead to another Gulf oil disaster" – CNN: Global Public Square Blogs – 9-19-11 – http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/19/why-our-cuba-policy-could-lead-to-another-gulf-oil-spill/

Can you remember what explosive crisis America and the world was fixated on last summer
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Cuban people, keep them impoverished and cut them off from the world.

Spill spreads and kills ecosystems. That’s key to regional biodiversity.

Almeida ’12
Rob Almeida is Partner/CMO at gCaptain. He graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1999 with a B.S in Naval Architecture and spent 6.5 years on active duty as a Surface Warfare Officer. He worked for a year as a Roughneck/Rig Manager trainee on board the drillship Discoverer Americas. May 18^th – http://gcaptain.com/drilling-cuba-embargo-badly/

In short however, Cuba’s access to containment systems, offshore technology, and spill
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oil spill could inflict unprecedented environmental devastation if not planned for in advance.

Biodiversity in specific hotspots checks extinction. Key to ag, medicine, and ecosystems

Mittermeier ’11
(et al, Dr. Russell Alan Mittermeier is a primatologist, herpetologist and biological anthropologist. He holds Ph.D. from Harvard in Biological Anthropology and serves as an Adjunct Professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He has conducted fieldwork for over 30 years on three continents and in more than 20 countries in mainly tropical locations. He is the President of Conservation International and he is considered an expert on biological diversity. Mittermeier has formally discovered several monkey species. From Chapter One of the book Biodiversity Hotspots – F.E. Zachos and J.C. Habel (eds.), DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-20992-5_1, ~23 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011. This evidence also internally references Norman Myers, a very famous British environmentalist specialising in biodiversity. available at: http://www.academia.edu/1536096/Global_biodiversity_conservation_the_critical_role_of_hotspots)

Extinction is the gravest consequence of the biodiversity crisis, since it is¶ irreversible
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than 30 of original vegetation remaining" criterion to a genuine hotspot.

Caribbean is one such hotspot.

CEPF ’10
(quoting Mittermeier — the same author that establishes the "hotspot" thesis and writes our impact ev. , Dr. Russell Alan Mittermeier is a primatologist, herpetologist and biological anthropologist. He holds Ph.D. from Harvard in Biological Anthropology and serves as an Adjunct Professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. CEPF is the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund – "Ecosystem Profile: THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT" – Prepared by: BirdLife International¶ in collaboration with:¶ Durrell Wildlife Conservation¶ Trust / Bath University¶ The New York Botanical Garden¶ and with the technical support of:¶ Conservation International-Center¶ for Applied Biodiversity Science; assistance for this report was offered by 100 international and non-profit organizations. Jan 15^th – http://www.cepf.net/Documents/Final_Caribbean_EP.pdf)

The Caribbean Islands Hotspot is one of the  world’s greatest centers of biodiversity and¶
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species amounting to at least 2 percent of the world’s total¶ species. 

Independently, another major spill would crush the US economy

National Commission ’11
Commission is co-chaired by William K. Reilly. Reilly was Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President George H. W. Bush. He has served as president of World Wildlife Fund, as a founder or advisor to several business ventures, and on many boards of directors. In 2010, he was appointed by President Barack Obama co-chair of the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling to investigate the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Report to the President; National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling – January 2011 ¶ http://www.oilspillcommission.gov/sites/default/files/documents/DEEPWATER_ReporttothePresident_FINAL.pdf

Chapters 4 through 7 lay out the results of our investigation in detail, highlighting
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, our¶ workers safer, and our cherished natural resources better protected.

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
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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.
Contention 2 is US-Cuban Relations:

Scenario ~231 is China

US-Cuban oil coop checks US-China resource war.

Benjamin-Alvarado ’10
Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, PhD of Political Science, University of Nebraska, 2010, "Cuba’s Energy Future: Strategic Approaches to Cooperation," a Brookings Publication –obtained as an ebook through MSU Electronic Resources – page 9-11

Those involved in managing the security interests of the United States need to understand the
AND
after the United States and Japan— to access oil and gas resources.

US-Sino war goes nuclear. Crisis management won’t check

Lowther ’13
Note: when this card has a line that reads "it says", it is referencing a 42-page report by the Washington DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Ask your lab leaders about the CSIS and the PONI (Project on Nuclear Issues) – several of them have worked for that organization and will have unique insights. The study at hand was prepared by the CSIS’ Project on Nuclear Issues. The Tapiei Time article was written by William Lowther, who is the Washington DC staff writer for that organization and he is citing a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, 3-16-2013, "Taiwan could spark nuclear war: report," Taipei Times, http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2013/03/16/2003557211

"Although Beijing and Washington have agreed to a range of crisis management mechanisms,
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arsenals, such a conflict would be tremendously dangerous and quite possibly devastating."

This specific type of resource war escalates – causing huge death tolls.

Lendman ’7
(Stephen Lendman is a renowned author and Research Associate of the Center for Research on Globalization (CRG). The Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG) is an independent research and media organization based in Montreal. The CRG is involved in book publishing, support to humanitarian projects as well as educational outreach activities including the organization of public conferences and lectures. The Centre also acts as a think tank on crucial economic and geopolitical issues. Stephen has written extensively on war and peace, social justice in America and many other national and international issues. Stephen Lendman is a recipient of a 2008 Project Censored Award, University of California at Sonoma – "Resource Wars – Can We Survive Them?" – Global Research, June 06, 2007 – http://www.globalresearch.ca/resource-wars-can-we-survive-them/5892)

With the world’s energy supplies finite, the US heavily dependent on imports, and
AND
, or at least a big part of it, would have survived.

Plan sufficiently hedges US energy security.

Benjamin-Alvarado ’10
Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, PhD of Political Science, University of Nebraska, 2010, "Cuba’s Energy Future: Strategic Approaches to Cooperation," a Brookings Publication – obtained as an ebook through MSU Electronic Resources – page 118-19

In chapter 1, I spotlighted five "S" characteristics of energy security and
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the redirection of oil shipments as needed owing to any number of circumstances.

Scenario ~23 2 is Latin American ties

US-Cuban oil coop key to check existing US-Latin American tensions.

Benjamin-Alvarado ’10
Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, PhD of Political Science, University of Nebraska, 2010, "Cuba’s Energy Future: Strategic Approaches to Cooperation," a Brookings Publication – obtained as an ebook through MSU Electronic Resources – page 3-4

The development of Cuba as an energy partner will not solve America’s energy problems.
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enhance the environment, conserve energy, and provide improved quality of life."

Now a key time for US-Latin American ties. Permanent collapse coming.

Shifter ’12 
(Michael is an Adjunct Professor of Latin American Studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and writes for the Council’s journal Foreign Affairs. He serves as the President of Inter-American Dialogue. "Remaking the Relationship: The United States and Latin America," April, IAD Policy Report, http://www.thedialogue.org/PublicationFiles/IAD2012PolicyReportFINAL.pdf)

If the United States and Latin America do not make the effort now, the
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wellbeing. It is time to seize the moment and overhaul hemispheric relations.

Cuba is key to US-Latin American Relations. Specifically spills-over to global coop on nuclear material transfers.

Shifter ’12 
(Michael is an Adjunct Professor of Latin American Studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and writes for the Council’s journal Foreign Affairs. He serves as the President of Inter-American Dialogue. "Remaking the Relationship: The United States and Latin America," April, IAD Policy Report, http://www.thedialogue.org/PublicationFiles/IAD2012PolicyReportFINAL.pdf)

Cuba, too, poses a significant challenge for relations between the United States and
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consultation and collaboration on a new, more effective approach to the problem.

Nuclear terrorism escalates to major nuclear war. Global coop on material transfers is key.

Ayson’10
Robert – Professor of Strategic Studies and Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies: New Zealand at the Victoria University of Wellington – "After a Terrorist Nuclear Attack: Envisaging Catalytic Effects," Studies in Conflict 26 Terrorism, Volume 33, Issue 7, July, obtained via InformaWorld

A terrorist nuclear attack, and even the use of nuclear weapons in response by
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, is further international cooperation on the control of existing fissile material holdings.
THUS THE PLAN: 

As they pertain to crude oil reservoirs, the United States federal government should lift its restrictions that preclude United States firms from exploring, extracting, refining, importing, or coordinating engineering and safety protocols with the Republic of Cuba.

Solvency

Contention Three is Solvency

First – Plan is effective, topical, and US firms would say "yes".

Benjamin-Alvarado ’10
Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, PhD of Political Science, University of Nebraska, 2010, "Cuba’s Energy Future: Strategic Approaches to Cooperation," a Brookings Publication – obtained as an ebook through MSU Electronic Resources – page 125-26

There are numerous areas in the energy sector in which the United States and Cuba
AND
changes in the Cuban embargo so that this type of engagement can occur.

Second – Cuba also says "yes". This spills-into broader coop.

Benjamin-Alvarado ’10
Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado, PhD of Political Science, University of Nebraska, 2010, "Cuba’s Energy Future: Strategic Approaches to Cooperation," a Brookings Publication – obtained as an ebook through MSU Electronic Resources – page 120

Undoubtedly, after fifty years of enmity, there is a significant lack of trust
AND
the way to establishing much-needed familiarity and confidence across these communities.

Tournament: Glenbrooks | Round: 5 | Opponent: Jesuit College Prep | Judge:
AG

Cuban agriculture sustainability is decreasing-normal trade relations solve-gives Cuba the means to pursue sustainability
King, Lehigh Department of Political Science and Environmental Studies, 2012
(M. Dawn, “Cuban Sustainability: The Effects of Economic Isolation on Agriculture and Energy”, March, http://wpsa.research.pdx.edu/meet/2012/kingmdawn.pdf)

In the 2006 Living Planet Report …short-term capital and energy needs.

Access to the US market is critical to sustainability and emulation
Kost 04 – William is part of the Economic Research Service for the USDA. (“CUBAN AGRICULTURE: TO BE OR NOT TO BE ORGANIC?” 2004, http://www.ascecuba.org/publications/proceedings/volume14/pdfs/kost.pdf)
EXTERNAL MARKETS MAY BE CRITICAL
FOR AN ORGANIC CUBA

In addition to the above European markets… in other sectors of the Cuban economy.
Two-way trade is key – Cuba’s model will outcompete the industrial ag model
Cornell and Patel, 9 – both write for the Council on Hemispheric Affairs (Christina and Tara, “Cuba Elevates Urban Gardening To a Cause” 4/17, http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com/index.php?article=11525

Since the development of urban agriculture … through competitive transactions and trade.
Cuban sustainable urban agriculture is a global model that’s spurring worldwide adoption-the plan is key to save it.
Ergas, Oregon sociology graduate student, 2013
(Christina, “Cuban Urban Agriculture as a Strategy for Food Sovereignty”, March, http://monthlyreview.org/2013/03/01/cuban-urban-agriculture-as-a-strategy-for-food-sovereignty

The agricultural revolution in Cuba … not just for their innovations, but for inspiration. 

Industrial ag is unsustainable-the impact is global food supplies
Altieri, Berkeley agro-ecology professor, 2008
(Miguel, “Small farms as a planetary ecological asset: Five key reasons why we should support the revitalization of small farms in the Global South”, 5-9, http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/2115)

This global movement, the Via Campesina, … on which we all depend now and even more so in the future.

US market swings global prices
Alessi, Council on Foreign Relations International Economics editor, 12
(Christopher, Interviewing Isobel Coleman*, Senior Fellow and Director of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative; Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program, August 2, 2012, “U.S. Drought and Rising Global Food Prices”, http://www.cfr.org/food-security/us-drought-rising-global-food-prices/p28777)

As recently as May, experts … half century, which is why you have this situation in Africa today.

Sustainable crop yields independently solves extinction- environmental collapse and global instability
Luger, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 00
(Richard, US Senator from Indiana, and a member and former chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, 2000, “Plant power”, http://www.ourplanet.com/imgversn/143/lugar.html)

In a world confronted by global terrorism, …and the health of our planet.  

US agriculture is key to prevent global food wars.
Klare 12 Michael, Professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College, As Food Prices Rise, Dangers of Social Unrest Seem Imminent, August 9, http://highbrowmagazine.com/1459-food-prices-rise-dangers-potential-social-unrest-seem-imminent

The Great Drought of 2012 …, and billions of famished, desperate people.

HEG
Plan is key to send a signal that the US doesn’t impose its values on other regimes-key to reverse Bush era perception
Colvin, New Ideas Fund fellow, 2008
(Jake, “The Case for a New Cuba Policy”, 12-23, http://web.archive.org/web/20120904201743/http://www.newideasfund.org/proposals/Colvin20-20Cuba20-20Master.pdf)

A signal to the world Beyond the domestic political … think you can do that with Cuba.?

The embargo is the largest impediment to US legitimacy-signals hostilities and aggression instead of responsibility
Safran, NYU global affairs masters, 2012
(Brian, “End the Cuban Embargo”, 8-14, http://brian-safran-4.quora.com/End-the-Cuban-Embargo-Brian-Safran)

The continuance of the embargo … in the contemporary world.

Legitimacy of U.S. hegemony’s key to global stability-prevents great power war
Fujimoto, US Army Lt. Colonel, 2012
(Kevin, “Preserving U.S. National Security Interests Through a Liberal World Construct”, 1-11, http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/index.cfm/articles/Preserving-US-National-Security-Interests-Liberal-World-Construct/2012/1/11)

The emergence of peer competitors…the world's only superpower.

The alternative is regional blocs and great power war
Zhang et al., Carnegie Endowment researcher, 2011
(Yuhan, “America’s decline: A harbinger of conflict and rivalry”, 1-22, http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2011/01/22/americas-decline-a-harbinger-of-conflict-and-rivalry/)

This does not necessarily mean that the US is in …y be devoid of unrivalled US primacy.

Pragmatic cooperation with non-democratic regimes is key to sustain multilateralism.
Kupchan, Georgetown international affairs professor, 2012
(Charles, “No One's World: The West, the Rising Rest, and the Coming Global Turn”, google books)

Although Western hegemony is in its waning days… are to agree on an ideological foundation for the next world.

The plan fosters a credible conflict resolution model which prevents conflict – status quo policies risk disengagement
Dickerson 10 – Lieutenant Colonel, US Army, paper submitted in fulfillment of a Master of Strategic Studies Degree at the US Army War College (Sergio M, “UNITED STATES SECURITY STRATEGY TOWARDS CUBA,” 1/14/10, http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a518053.pdf)

At the international political level, President … order bringing true peace for years to come.

PLANTEXT
The United States federal government should establish normal trade relations with the Republic of Cuba.
SOLVENCY
Establishing normal trade relations is key to two way trade
French, Lexington Institute, 2009
(Anya, “Options for Engagement A Resource Guide for Reforming U.S. Policy toward Cuba”, April, http://www.lexingtoninstitute.org/library/resources/documents/Cuba/USPolicy/options-for-engagement.pdf)

If the United States were … to adopt statutory and regulatory changes.

Only total removal unilaterally solve the signal and gets Cuba to change
Koenig 10 Colonel, US Army War College Lance R. Koenig, Time for a New Cuba Policy, Strategy Research Project, Colonel Lance R. Koenig, 2010, http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?Location=U2anddoc=GetTRDoc.pdfandAD=ADA518130

There is a sound reason for …onto a path that will benefit the nations of the Americas.

Partial or conditioned removal isn’t enough to solve any part of the AFF
Gorrell 05 Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army War College Lieutenant Colonel Tim Gorrell, Cuba: The Next Unanticipated Anticipated Strategic Crisis?, Strategy Research Project, 18 March 2005, U.S. Army War College, http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA433074

RETAIN SANCTIONS AGAINST CUBA, … bold shift in its policy toward Cuba?