Tournament: GFCA Varsity State | Round: 6 | Opponent: Chattahoochee LS | Judge: Scott Phillips
The United States federal government should permanently eliminate 33,000 military positions from Europe and 17,000 military positions from Asia as per the recommendations of the Sustainable Defense Task Force. The United States federal government should formally recommit to hemispheric diplomacy and a multilateral foreign policy, reduce agricultural tariffs and subsidies, yield on issues that have stalled the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas, scale back its military operations in Columbia, place new restrictions and transparency requirements on democracy promotion initiatives, de-escalate the War on Drugs and cooperate with Latin American countries to adopt new drug policies, renew its assault weapons ban, and enact comprehensive immigration reform including a pathway to citizenship. The United States federal government should repeal all transportation fuel and technology subsidies including the Renewable Fuel Standard. The United States federal government should establish and fully fund an international “Frozen Zoo” that catalogs, preserves, and sequences DNA samples of every species on Earth. The United States federal government should implement a Greenhouse Gas Fee, establish a National Green Bank, increase investments in public transportation, repeal exemptions that support hydraulic fracturing from the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and other environmental regulations, and eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. We’ll clarify. 

First, drawing down U.S. military presence in Europe and Asia is key to solve strategic reserves—personnel stationed in Europe and Asia tie down additional troops at home.
SDTF 10 — Sustainable Defense Task Force—authors include Carl Conetta, Co-director of the Project on Defense Alternatives at the Commonwealth Institute, Benjamin H. Friedman, Research Fellow at the Cato Institute, William D. Hartung, Director of the Arms and Security Initiative at the New America Foundation, Christopher Hellmanm Policy Analyst at the National Priorities Project, Heather Hurlburt, Executive Director of the National Security Network, Charles Knight, Co-director of the Project on Defense Alternatives at the Commonwealth Institute, Lawrence J. Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, Paul Kawika Martin, Organizing, Political, and PAC Director of the Peace Action and Peace Action Education Fund, Laicie Olson, Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation at the Council for a Livable World, Prasannan Parthasarathi, Associate Professor of History at Boston College, Miriam Pemberton, Research Fellow at Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, Laura Peterson, Senior Policy Analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense, Christopher A. Preble, Director of Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, and Winslow T. Wheeler, Director of the Straus Military Reform Project at the Center for Defense Information, 2010 (“Debt, Deficits, and Defense: A Way Forward,” Report of the Sustainable Defense Task Force, June 11th, Available Online at http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/1006SDTFreport.pdf, Accessed 09-28-2010, p. 16-17)
America’s commitments in Asia and Europe  … so far, unavailable for use elsewhere. 

Second, this means the counterplan solves their “strategic reserves” internal link.
SDTF 10 — Sustainable Defense Task Force—authors include Carl Conetta, Co-director of the Project on Defense Alternatives at the Commonwealth Institute, Benjamin H. Friedman, Research Fellow at the Cato Institute, William D. Hartung, Director of the Arms and Security Initiative at the New America Foundation, Christopher Hellmanm Policy Analyst at the National Priorities Project, Heather Hurlburt, Executive Director of the National Security Network, Charles Knight, Co-director of the Project on Defense Alternatives at the Commonwealth Institute, Lawrence J. Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, Paul Kawika Martin, Organizing, Political, and PAC Director of the Peace Action and Peace Action Education Fund, Laicie Olson, Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation at the Council for a Livable World, Prasannan Parthasarathi, Associate Professor of History at Boston College, Miriam Pemberton, Research Fellow at Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, Laura Peterson, Senior Policy Analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense, Christopher A. Preble, Director of Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, and Winslow T. Wheeler, Director of the Straus Military Reform Project at the Center for Defense Information, 2010 (“Debt, Deficits, and Defense: A Way Forward,” Report of the Sustainable Defense Task Force, June 11th, Available Online at http://www.comw.org/pda/fulltext/1006SDTFreport.pdf, Accessed 09-28-2010, p. 18)
As noted above, foreign-stationed …
 strategic reserve for use worldwide, as needed.

Adopting a long list of initiatives that reinvigorate hemispheric diplomacy and decisively demonstrating that the U.S. is adopting a new foreign policy doctrine solves multilateralism best
Grandin 10 — Greg Grandin, Professor of History at New York University, holds a Ph.D. in History from Yale University, 2010 (“Empire's Senescence: U.S. Policy in Latin America,” New Labor Forum, Volume 19, Number 1, Winter, Available Online to Subscribing Institutions via Project MUSE)
Washington's relations with Latin America—particularly in terms of the gap between what its policy toward the region is and what it could be—precisely measure the degree to which domestic ideologies, narrow corporate and sectional interests, and a sclerotic political system are hastening the decline of the United States as a global power. As a result, the U.S. is deepening its dependence on unstable policies in order to leverage its dwindling influence in the hemisphere.
It is easy to imagine an improved U.S. diplomacy toward Latin America, …
to, in his words, "embrace a new era of engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect."

The counterplan solves the ethanol advantage best — minor reforms like the plan are not sufficient because the RFS artificially props up demand.
Loris 13 — Nicolas D. Loris, Herbert and Joyce Morgan Fellow in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation, holds an M.A. in Economics from George Mason University, 2013 (“Congress Should Scale Back the Renewable Fuel Standard—to Zero,” Heritage Foundation Issue Brief #4012, August 13th, Available Online at http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/08/renewable-fuel-standard-congress-should-scale-back-to-zero, Accessed 03-06-2014)
Temporary Measures
The EPA’s constant revisions of the RFS …
Congress should repeal the RFS. That is the only true reform.
The counterplan is the best way to preserve global biodiversity — it’s cheap and easily implemented, but funding is key.
Brown 13 — William Y. Brown, Nonresident Senior Fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution, Chief Environment Officer at the Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management, former Executive Secretary of the U.S. Endangered Species Scientific Authority, former science advisor to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, former President of the Bishop Museum, the Academy of Natural Sciences, and the Woods Hole Research Center, holds a Ph.D. in Zoology at the University Hawaii, 2013 (“Wanted: A Noah's Ark for Species' DNA,” Wall Street Journal, April 25th, Available Online at http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2013/04/25-dna-genetic-library-brown, Accessed 02-07-2014)
But whether a gene can be patented will be …
even when the priority is obvious

Finally, the counterplan is the most effective way to solve warming.
Shank and Lichtash 13 — Michael Shank, Director of Foreign Policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Adjunct Faculty at George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, holds a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University, and Matt Lichtash, Policy Analyst and Co-Founder of the Wesleyan Climate Project, 2013 (“Five Steps America Must Take Now to Combat Climate Change,” U.S. News and World Report, October 15th, Available Online at http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/world-report/2013/10/15/five-steps-america-must-take-now-to-combat-global-warming, Accessed 02-07-2014)
The government shutdown, even after it ends, will slow much of the president's second-term agenda items. Obamacare isn't the only policy on the political chopping block.  Despite reports by U.N. scientists and Nature researchers this month that the planet's climate is still warming, ice is still melting, seas are still rising and humans are still certainly to blame, the President's Climate Action Plan — which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions here at home, assist communities in adapting to the unavoidable impacts of climate change and increase United States leadership in spurring global climate action — is also getting stuck coming out the gate.
To its credit, the Obama administration, …
reform. We must lead the way.

Tournament: Wake Forest | Round: 4 | Opponent: Westminster SO | Judge: Sara Kirsch

The United States federal government should offer to plan if and only if the Republic of Cuba releases Alan Gross.

The counterplan solves the case and is net-beneficial—

First, the U.S. should trade increased economic engagement for Gross’s release — a quid pro quo is key to boost relations.

Smith 12 — Wayne Smith, Director of the Cuba Program and Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy, served as unofficial ambassador to Cuba under President Jimmy Carter, 2012 (“What Roles for Foreign Direct Investment in the New Cuban Economy?,” Transcript of a Brookings Institution Panel Discussion, December 10th, Available Online at http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/events/2012/12/1020cuba/20121210_cuban_economy.pdf, Accessed 09-02-2013, p. 30-31)
MR. PICCONE: Let’s take one more. Wayne, up front here, please ... between the two, if would seem to me.

Second, Cuba wants to use Gross as leverage to negotiate with Washington on other bilateral issues — they’ll “say yes” to the counterplan.

Sweig 13 — Julia E. Sweig, Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior Fellow for Latin America Studies and Director for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, holds an M.A. and Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, interviewed by Robert McMahon, Editor of CFR.org, 2013 (“Talking to Cuba,” Council On Foreign Relations, January 25th, Available Online at http://www.cfr.org/cuba/talking-cuba/p29879?cid=rss-latinamericaandthecaribbea-talking_to_cuba-012513, Accessed 09-02-2013)
Washington continues to point to what it says is the biggest impediment, which is the case of Alan Gross ... That is sort of a deep strategic driver on this Gross case.

Third, Gross’s continued detention is a violation of international law and human decency. Better relations with Cuba are impossible until he is released.

Washington Post 10 — Washington Post, 2010 (“Cuba's Jewish hostage,” Op-Ed, December 6th, Available Online at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/06/AR2010120606357.html, Accessed 09-02-2013)
Raul Castro’s attempt to win foreign favor and investment for Cuba's moribund economy ... are no substitute for reversing this wrong.

Tournament: Ohio Valley | Round: 6 | Opponent: Johns Creek LR | Judge: Lane Bearden
The United States federal government should request that the Federative Republic of Brazil extend an offer on its behalf to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to plan.

The United States federal government should use Brazil as an interlocutor during negotiations with Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

The counterplan solves the case and is net-beneficial.

First, it competes — it doesn’t economically engage Venezuela. Engagement requires direct negotiations — the counterplan uses Brazil as an interlocutor, avoiding direct negotiations with Venezuela. 

Second, Brazil is an essential interlocutor between the U.S. and Latin America — the counterplan is key to boost Brazil’s soft power
Kingstone 9 — Peter Kingstone, co-director at the Institute for International Development at King’s College, 2009 (“Brazil: The Sleeping Giant Awakens?,” January 12th, Available online at http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/3145/brazil-the-sleeping-giant-awakens, Accessed on September 14, 2013)
All this economic and social policy success has given Brazilian leaders a newfound confidence …-- provided that Brazil's confident stance continues. 

Brazil soft power key to cure international pandemics
Lee and Gomez 11 — Kelley Lee, Professor of Global Health Policy at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Eduardo Gomez, published extensively on Brazil’s response to HIV/AIDS and other diseases, as well as issues of global health governance and comparative health institutions, 2011 (“Brazil’s Ascendance: The soft power role of global health diplomacy,” World Financial Review, Available Online at http://www.worldfinancialreview.com/?p=414, Accessed on September 15, 2013)
The country’s reputation in championing global health …the country’s ability to leverage soft power influence.

Disease causes extinction
Yu 9 — Victoria Yu, Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science (“Human Extinction: The Uncertainty of Our Fate, 22 May 2009, Available Online at http://dujs.dartmouth.edu/spring-2009/human-extinction-the-uncertainty-of-our-fate, Accessed on September 16, 2013)
A pandemic will kill off all humans. In the past, humans have …which could only infect birds — into a human-viable strain (10).

Tournament: St Marks | Round: 6 | Opponent: Reagan HG | Judge: Toby Whisenhunt
The “free” internet promised by the aff comes at a price more important than money. Internet access colonizes our daily lives and colonizes our experiences and relationships. “Free internet” is a myth perpetuated by capitalism.
CEC no date — CrimethInc. Ex-Workers' Collective, no date (“The Internet as New Enclosure: Digitized Capitalism, the Attention Economy, and the Surveillance State,” Available Online at http://www.crimethinc.com/texts/atoz/enclosure.php, Accessed 10-19-2013)
Media transforms experience, memory, and communication into something synthetic and …digital technologies may not resemble the old forms of colonization.

The aff expands capitalism’s reach into the mental processes and social ties of internet users. Ubiquitous internet access produces alienation and makes us vulnerable to state and corporate manipulation. NSA surveillance is just the tip of the iceberg.
CEC no date — CrimethInc. Ex-Workers' Collective, no date (“The Internet as New Enclosure: Digitized Capitalism, the Attention Economy, and the Surveillance State,” Available Online at http://www.crimethinc.com/texts/atoz/enclosure.php, Accessed 10-19-2013)
Like any pyramid scheme, capitalism has to expand constantly, …we are to massive institutions against which we have very little leverage.

Their policies will always be tainted by militaristic global capitalism killing value to life.
Rajiva, 6 – Masters in Economics, Doctoral work in international relations and political philosophy
(Lila, The New Centennial Review 6.1 (2006) 133-169, “Prometheus The Emergence of the Police State in America “)
Indeed, to act with impunity, the state prefers a control that…constraints become not merely ineffective but irrelevant.

The alternative is to reject capitalism and reject the state as an agent of productive change.
Holloway, 2, Ph.D in Political Science from University of Edinburgh, (John, “Change the World Without Taking Power: The Meaning of Revolution Today,” http://libcom.org/library/change-world-without-taking-power-john-holloway)
The world cannot be changed through the state…The only thing that is left is to ask with humility: where is dignity?'

The aff overestimates the power of technology. Our argument isn’t that the internet is bad, it’s that the internet is bad when coupled with capitalism and the state.
CEC no date — CrimethInc. Ex-Workers' Collective, no date (“The Internet as New Enclosure: Digitized Capitalism, the Attention Economy, and the Surveillance State,” Available Online at http://www.crimethinc.com/texts/atoz/enclosure.php, Accessed 10-19-2013)
This isn’t a criticism of technology per se…with capitalism and the state.

Tournament: Wake Forest | Round: 1 | Opponent: Centennial DL | Judge: Bill Wilson

The United States federal government should implement the agreement between the United States and United Mexican States concerning Transboundary Hydrocarbon Reservoirs in the Gulf of Mexico if and only if Mexico agrees to apprehend Rafael Caro Quintero and extradite him to the United States to face charges.

The counterplan solves the case and is net-beneficial—

First, Rafael Caro Quintero was in prison for killing a DEA Agent but Mexico released him early without telling the United States. Justice demands that the plan be conditioned on Caro Quintero’s apprehension and extradition.

Bensinger 8/29 — Peter Bensinger, served as administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration from 1976 to 1981, 2013 (“Perspective: A travesty of justice,” Chicago Tribune, August 29th, Available Online at http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-08-29/opinion/ct-oped-0830-dea-20130830_1_drug-cartel-u-s-consulate-rafael-caro-quintero, Accessed 09-03-2013)
Enrique and#34;Kikiand#34; Camarena, a special agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration … And Mexico must bring him to justice.

Second, insisting on extradition as a condition for engagement is vital to preserve U.S.-Mexico relations and maintain law and order. The signal of the counterplan is key.

DMN 8/12 — Dallas Morning News, 2013 (“Mexican cartel leader’s release an outrage,” August 12th, Available Online at http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/20130812-editorial-mexican-cartel-leaders-release-an-outrage.ece, Accessed 09-03-2013)
A Mexican judge’s decision to release drug cartel leader Rafael Caro Quintero … other cartel leaders that they will not escape justice for their crimes.

Tournament: Wake Forest | Round: 1 | Opponent: Centennial DL | Judge: Bill Wilson

A. Uniqueness — Chinese investment in Latin America is strong and increasing.

Economic Observer 13 — Byline Wang Xiaoxia, Economic Observer, Translated by Worldcrunch (“In Americaand#39;s Backyard: Chinaand#39;s Rising Influence In Latin America,” Worldcrunch/Economic Observer, May 6, 2013, Available Online: http://worldcrunch.com/china-2.0/in-america-039-s-backyard-china-039-s-rising-influence-in-latin-america/foreign-policy-trade-economy-investments-energy/c9s11647/, Accessed: 05/25/2013)
Over the past five years, Chinese businesses have been expanding … U.S.-Latin American trade volume was $351 billion.

B. Link — Influence is zero sum — Latin America allows Chinese investment because of lack of US economic engagement.

Erikson and Chen 7 — Daniel P. Erikson, Senior Associate for U.S. policy at the Inter-American Dialogue and coeditor of Transforming Socialist Economies: Lessons for Cuba and Beyond, and Janice Chen, joint-degree candidate at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and Georgetown University Law Center, former intern at Inter-American Dialogue (“China, Taiwan, and the Battle for Latin America,” The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs Journal, Tufts University, Summer, 2007, 31 Fletcher F. World Aff. 69, Available Online from Lexis Nexis Law Journals)
Meanwhile, Chinaand#39;s galloping entrance into the Latin American … to their nascent manufacturing sectors.

C. Impact — Chinese investment in Latin America key to economic growth and regime stability.

Ellis 11 — R. Evan Ellis, professor of national security studies, modeling, gaming, and simulation with the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies at the National Defense University, with a research focus on Latin America’s relationships with external actors, including China, Russia, and Iran, Ph.D. in Political Science (“Chinese Soft Power in Latin America: A Case Study, Joint Force Quarterly, A Publication of the National Defense University Press, Issue 60, 1st Quarter 2011, Available Online: http://www.ndu.edu/press/lib/images/jfq-60/JFQ60_85-91_Ellis.pdf, Accessed: 05/22/2013)
Access to Latin American Markets. Latin American markets are becoming … which the PRC would have been disadvantaged.

Chinese economic decline risks internal collapse and war over Taiwan.

Lewis 8 — Dan Lewis, Research Director of the Economic Research Council, 2008 (“Industry will put innovation on fast track,” World Finance, May 13th, Available Online at http://www.worldfinance.com/home/final-bell/the-nightmare-of-a-chinese-economic-collapse, Accessed 11/26/2012)
A reduction in demand for imported Chinese goods would quickly entail … whom America is pledged to defend.

Tournament: Barkely Forum | Round: 5 | Opponent: Dexter MS | Judge: Scott Phillips
First, the affirmative is caught up in the cult of reputation—the assumption that the U.S.’s credibility is its own possession and that it spills over across issues and to other countries is demonstrably false.
Tang 5 — Shiping Tang, Associate Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Center for Regional Security Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, Co-director of the Sino-American Security Dialogue, 2005 ("Reputation, Cult of Reputation, and International Conflict," Security Studies, Volume 14, Number 1, January-March, p. 41-45)
Two implicitly related notions underpin this belief system. The first notion is that one’s ... their own actions negate the logic of their belief.

Second, the U.S. can’t control the perceptions of others—the underlying assumptions of the cult of reputation are logically and empirically bankrupt.
Fettweis 8 — Christopher J. Fettweis, Assistant Professor of National Security Affairs in the National Security Decision Making Department at the U.S. Naval War College, holds a Ph.D. in International Relations and Comparative Politics from the University of Maryland-College Park, 2007-2008 ("Credibility and the War on Terror," Political Science Quarterly, Volume 122, Number 4, Winter, Available Online to Subscribing Institutions via IngentaConnect, p. 633)
Both logic and a preponderance of the evidence suggest that the current U.S...for both the extent of its acceptance and the depth of its flaws. 

Third, this turns the case—the belief in credibility empirically causes war.
Tang 5 — Shiping Tang, Associate Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Center for Regional Security Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, Co-director of the Sino-American Security Dialogue, 2005 ("Reputation, Cult of Reputation, and International Conflict," Security Studies, Volume 14, Number 1, January-March, p. 46)
Decisionmakers’ persistent concern for losing reputation has brought unnecessary bloodiness to international ... which friend would trust us then?" (Type I-a).43 

The alternative is to stop believing in credibility.

Basing decisions on perceptions of credibility makes serial policy failure inevitable—decades of scholarship are on our side.
Fettweis 9 — Christopher J. Fettweis, Assistant Professor of National Security Affairs in the National Security Decision Making Department at the U.S. Naval War College, holds a Ph.D. in International Relations and Comparative Politics from the University of Maryland-College Park, 2009 ("Madmen in Authority: Threats, Pathology and Grand Strategy," Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology, June, Available Online at http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p314364_index.html , p. 4-6)
Many academic fields deal with pathology in one form or another. Individual and group ... their own good and for that of the international system as a whole.

Tournament: Ohio Valley | Round: 1 | Opponent: Cathedral Prep DH | Judge: EriK Matthis
Hegemony is fundamentally unsustainable: rising challengers and fiscal instability.
Layne 12 — Christopher Layne, Associate Professor in the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas AandM University and Research Fellow with the Center on Peace and Liberty at The Independent Institute, 1/11/2012 (“This Time It’s Real: The End of Unipolarity and the Pax Americana,” International Studies Quarterly 1-11, Accessed 1/21/12)
Some twenty years after the Cold War’s end, it now is evident that both the 1980s declinists and the unipolar…America’s fiscal crisis and the dollar’s uncertain future are important drivers of American decline.

Turn – Disease:

First, the link—Primacy increases the risk of a global disease pandemic – unipolarity guarantees the world won’t be prepared for the next outbreak.
Weber et al., 7—Professor of Political Science and Director of the Institute for International Studies at the University of California-Berkeley January/February, 2007, Steven Weber with Naazneen Barma, Matthew Kroenig, and Ely Ratner, Ph.D. Candidates at the University of California-Berkeley and Research Fellows at its New Era Foreign Policy Center, “How Globalization Went Bad,” Foreign Policy, Issue 158, Available Online to Subscribing Institutions via Academic Search Premiere, p. 52-53
The same is true for global public health. Globalization …Asia or sub-Saharan Africa. America can’t change that alone.

Second, the impact—infectious diseases kill 1500 people every hour and their spread threatens the entire globe.
Nagarajan 3—Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Prince Edward Island 2003, P. Nagarajan, “Looming health crisis: World on the brink,” The Hindu Business Line, http://www.blonnet.com/bline/2003/08/05/stories/ 2003080500110900.htm, Accessed 09-22-2003
Like terrorism, epidemic disease has become a part and parcel of the contemporary … says WHO. "No country can ignore their threat."

Tournament: Carrollton | Round: 3 | Opponent: Calhoun SW | Judge: Libby Mandarino
The affirmative begins with the wrong starting point—highlighting the need for change at the level of government obscures our individual responsibility for violence.
Kappeler 95 — Susanne Kappeler, Lecturer in English at the University of East Anglia (UK) and freelance writer, 1995 (“Violence and the will to violence,” The Will To Violence: The Politics of Personal Behaviour, Published by Polity Press (Cambridge, UK), ISBN 0745613047, p. 10)
‘We are the war’ does not mean that the responsibility …for such events are always made elsewhere.

This makes the affirmative nothing more than mental deputy politics. Vote negative to acknowledge our individual agency and refuse to displace responsibility onto the government.
Kappeler 95 — Susanne Kappeler, Lecturer in English at the University of East Anglia (UK) and freelance writer, 1995 (“Violence and the will to violence,” The Will To Violence: The Politics of Personal Behaviour, Published by Polity Press (Cambridge, UK), ISBN 0745613047, p. 10-11)
Yet our insight that indeed we are not responsible for the …our values’ according to the structures and the values of war and violence.

Tournament: MBA | Round: 5 | Opponent: Cypress Bay SU | Judge: Chris Tallungun
The assumption that circumstances or systems cause violence is wrong: every violent act requires an individual to choose to commit violence. Their contention that NAFTA causes violence should be rejected.
Kappeler 95 — Susanne Kappeler, Lecturer in English at the University of East Anglia (UK) and freelance writer, 1995 (“Violence and the will to violence,” The Will To Violence: The Politics of Personal Behaviour, Published by Polity Press (Cambridge, UK), ISBN 0745613047, p. 1-2)
Violence is a ubiquitous reality in our society…but the method of explanation remains the same.

The affirmative’s methodological approach to violence is a form of collective victim-blaming that stigmatizes entire groups in order to exonerate individual perpetrators. This displaces responsibility and turns the case: they have misidentified the cause of their harms.
Kappeler 95 — Susanne Kappeler, Lecturer in English at the University of East Anglia (UK) and freelance writer, 1995 (“Violence and the will to violence,” The Will To Violence: The Politics of Personal Behaviour, Published by Polity Press (Cambridge, UK), ISBN 0745613047, p. 2-3)
While consideration of mitigating …which we are to assume to be a zone of non-violence.

The alternative is to adopt a different methodological approach to violence.  Instead of viewing violence as a product of circumstances, we should interrogate the moment of decision when individuals choose to commit violence.  This methodological approach enables effective resistance to the violent ideology of the affirmative and is a necessary precondition to remedying the harms they have outlined.   
Kappeler 95 — Susanne Kappeler, Lecturer in English at the University of East Anglia (UK) and freelance writer, 1995 (“Violence and the will to violence,” The Will To Violence: The Politics of Personal Behaviour, Published by Polity Press (Cambridge, UK), ISBN 0745613047, p. 5-7)
A politics aiming at a change in people’s behaviour would require political work …discourse in a continual critique of ideology itself.

Finally, instead of viewing violence as something “out there,” we should focus on our own opportunities to choose violence or resistance—this is a necessary prerequisite to effective political change.
Kappeler 95 — Susanne Kappeler, Lecturer in English at the University of East Anglia (UK) and freelance writer, 1995 (“Violence and the will to violence,” The Will To Violence: The Politics of Personal Behaviour, Published by Polity Press (Cambridge, UK), ISBN 0745613047, p. 18-20)
There cannot therefore in the context of specific women’s actions be continued and undifferentiated…It is a most political question, and a most political decision.

Tournament: Ohio Valley | Round: 4 | Opponent: Johns Creek MT | Judge: Abby Schirmer
Multilateralism Critique

First, multilateralism enables American imperialism. The affirmative’s discourse reifies colonial violence by normalizing U.S. leadership.
Muppidi 4 — Himadeep Muppidi, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Vassar College, holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota, 2004 (“Globalization in the United States,” The Politics of the Global, Published by the University of Minnesota Press, ISBN 9780816695393, p. 72-74)
Appropriating The Other
In a scathing critique of the Bush administration’s new grand strategy… the acceptance of U.S. leadership by the rest of the world.

Second, this risks extinction. U.S. imperialism sanctions endless violence.
Comissiong 13 — Solomon Comissiong, Professor of African American Studies at the University of Maryland-College Park, Education Consultant and Activist, holds a B.A. in Communications and M.S. in College Student Personnel from the University of Rhode Island, 2013 (“The United States of War: An Addiction to Imperialism,” Black Agenda Report, October 22nd, Available Online at http://www.blackagendareport.com/content/united-states-war-addiction-imperialism, Accessed 12-05-2013)
A common description for the term addiction is, “the continued repetition …crystal clear why people living within the United State must care.

Finally, the alternative is de-Orientalization. Vote negative to reject the discourse of multilateralism intrinsic to the affirmative’s case for change.  
Falk 9 — Richard Falk, Albert G. Milbank Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University, Visiting Distinguished Professor of Global and International Studies at the University of California-Santa Barbara, holds a Doctor of Juridical Science from Harvard Law School, 2009 (“Orientalism and International Law,” Achieving Human Rights, Published by Routledge, ISBN 0415990157, p. 52-53)
The transition to a regulated structure of world order is underway and is assured…the deforming impacts of Orientalism in all of its sinister forms.

Tournament: Carrollton | Round: 3 | Opponent: Calhoun SW | Judge: Libby Mandarino
First, the affirmative centers their opposition to militarism and violence “out there” at Guantanamo. This necessarily trades off with efforts to resist oppression here at home—the affirmative should be held responsible for this framing.
Rodriguez 8 — Dylan Rodriguez, Professor and Chair of the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California-Riverside, holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California-Berkeley, 2008 (“Warfare and the Terms of Engagement,” Abolition Now!: Ten Years of Strategy and Struggle Against the Prison Industrial Complex, Edited by The CR10 Publications Collective, Published by AK Press, ISBN 1904859968, p. 93)
We are collectively witnessing, surviving, and …most intimate and nearby geographies of “home.”

Second, focusing on force-feeding at Guantanamo frames the torture there as an anomaly. The affirmative actively obscures recognition of the routine use of force-feeding in American prisons.
Neumann 13 — Ann Neumann, Editor of The Revealer—a publication of the Center for Religion and Media at New York University, 2013 (“Guantánamo is not an anomaly — prisoners in the US are force-fed every day,” Waging Nonviolence, May 4th, Available Online at http://wagingnonviolence.org/feature/guantanamo-is-not-an-anomaly-prisoners-in-the-us-are-force-fed-every-day/, Accessed 11-15-2013)
I know a hunger-striking prisoner who hasn’t eaten solid food in more than five years…“Force-feeding order did not violate inmate’s rights,” the Reuters headline reads.

Third, this impact outweighs the case by entrenching institutionalized dehumanization—vote negative to make this domestic warfare our starting point for resistance.
Rodriguez 8 — Dylan Rodriguez, Professor and Chair of the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California-Riverside, holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California-Berkeley, 2008 (“Warfare and the Terms of Engagement,” Abolition Now!: Ten Years of Strategy and Struggle Against the Prison Industrial Complex, Edited by The CR10 Publications Collective, Published by AK Press, ISBN 1904859968, p. 94-97)
This time of crisis and emergency necessitates a critical examination …moral, cultural, and political premises of these wars.

Fourth, our alternative is unflinching abolition of the American prison, policing, and criminal justice systems.
Rodriguez 8 — Dylan Rodriguez, Professor and Chair of the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California-Riverside, holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California-Berkeley, 2008 (“’I Would Wish Death on You...’ Race, Gender, and Immigration in the Globality of the U.S. Prison Regime,” The Scholar and Feminist Online, Issue 6, Number 3, Summer, Available Online at http://sfonline.barnard.edu/immigration/print_drodriguez.htm, Accessed 11-15-2013)
The globality of the U.S. prison regime thus places a peculiar …forward the most imaginative and daring praxis.

Fifth, starting point matters. The 1AC was silent on the issue of domestic incarceration and the anti-blackness of the U.S. prison-industrial complex. Discussing Guantanamo in this way is mutually exclusive with prison abolition.
Balasubramanian 13 — Janani Balasubramanian, Assistant Editor at Black Girl Dangerous—a blog, holds an M.S. in Feminist Studies from Stanford University, 2013 (“Zimmermans and Drones: Antiblackness and Global Domination,” Black Girl Dangerous—a blog, Volume 38, Issue 5, November, Available Online at http://www.blackgirldangerous.org/2013/08/08/201388zimmermans-and-drones-antiblackness-and-global-domination/, Accessed 11-15-2013)
In their piece ‘Figuring the Prison’ Jared Sexton and Elizabeth Lee …rather than the more radical vision: prison abolition.

Tournament: Wake Forest | Round: 1 | Opponent: Centennial DL | Judge: Bill Wilson

Policy responses to specific crises is premised on the flawed epistemology of securitization — their solvency claims ignore structural and systemic causes of their impact— causes serial policy failure and turns the case.

Ahmed 11 — Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed, M.A. in Contemporary War and Peace Studies and a PhD in International Relations from the School of Global Studies at Sussex University, Executive Director of the Institute for Policy Research and Development, Professor at the Department of International Relations, University of Sussex, UK, 2011 (“The international relations of crisis and the crisis of international relations: from the securitisation of scarcity to the militarisation of society,” Department of International Relations, University of Sussex, UK, Global Change, Peace and Security, Vol. 23, No. 3, October 2011, 335–355, p.1-2. PDF, Accessed on August 20, 2013)
The twenty-first century heralds the unprecedented acceleration … processes of social polarization that can culminate in violent conflict.

Securitization normalizes political violence in the international system as a “rational strategy”— that inevitably triggers every major impact and causes extinction— we access root cause.

Ahmed 11 — Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed, M.A. in Contemporary War and Peace Studies and a PhD in International Relations from the School of Global Studies at Sussex University, Executive Director of the Institute for Policy Research and Development, Professor at the Department of International Relations, University of Sussex, UK, 2011 (“The international relations of crisis and the crisis of international relations: from the securitisation of scarcity to the militarisation of society,” Department of International Relations, University of Sussex, UK, Global Change, Peace and Security, Vol. 23, No. 3, October 2011, 335–355, p.345. PDF, Accessed on August 20, 2013)
Under traditional neorealist logic, a strategic response … if not planetary annihilation?61

The alternative is to reject to affirmative — that is key to challenge and deconstruct security as the dominant political approach to problem solving— the criticism is mutually exclusive with the aff.

Charret 09 — Catherine Charret, a PhD candidate at Aberystwyth University, UK in the department of International Politics and she hold a Masters degree from the London School of Economics, 2008 (“A Critical Application of Securitization Theory: Overcoming the Normative Dilemma of Writing Security,” International Catalan Institute for Peace, Barcelona, December 2008, Available Online at http://www20.gencat.cat/docs/icip/Continguts/Publicacions/WorkingPapers/Arxius/WP7_ANG.pdf, Accessed on August 21, 2013)
Critics of the CS have challenged its fixed conceptualization… replicate realist approaches of defending a sovereign order.

Tournament: Wake Forest | Round: 1 | Opponent: Centennial DL | Judge: Bill Wilson

First, Mexico is a flagrant, willful, and persistent violator of human rights — abuses are widespread.

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 23rd, Available Online at
In its annual report, Amnesty International criticized Mexico … protecting human rights and fighting organized crime more effectively.
 

Second, reject engagement with human rights abusers — 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 … tacit complicity in the willful, persistent, and flagrant immorality.

Finally, any compromise sanctions evil — reject every instance regardless of consequences.

Gordon and Gordon 95 — Haim Gordon, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Education at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and Rivca Gordon, general director of the Foundation for Democratic Education in Israel and chairperson of the Gaza Team for Human Rights, 1995 (“Introduction,” Sartre and Evil: Guidelines for a Struggle, Published by Greenwood Press, ISBN 031327861X, p. xvi-xviii)
Put differently, this book is also about us, a man and a woman who … to these questions in Sartreand#39;s literature and drama.

Tournament: Wake Forest | Round: 1 | Opponent: Centennial DL | Judge: Bill Wilson

“Engagement” requires long-term contacts across multiple issue-areas in order to normalize relations.

Resnick 1 — Evan Resnick, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science at Columbia University, holds an M.Phil. in Political Science and an M.A. in Political Science from Columbia University, 2001 (“Defining engagement,” Journal of International Affairs, Volume 54, Issue 2, Spring, Available Online to Subscribing Institutions via ABI/INFORM Complete)
A REFINED DEFINITION OF ENGAGEMENT … permits the elucidation of multiple types of positive sanctions.

The plan doesn’t meet this interpretation because it doesn’t establish and enhance contacts across multiple issue-areas. The plan is “appeasement,” not “engagement”.

Resnick 1 — Evan Resnick, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science at Columbia University, holds an M.Phil. in Political Science and an M.A. in Political Science from Columbia University, 2001 (“Defining engagement,” Journal of International Affairs, Volume 54, Issue 2, Spring, Available Online to Subscribing Institutions via ABI/INFORM Complete)
DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN ENGAGEMENT AND APPEASEMENT … for certain concessions on the part of the target state.

Prefer our interpretation and vote negative — meaningful limits require conceptually distinguishing between appeasement and engagement. Defining engagement to include appeasement overstretches neg preparation and fractures topic coherence — generic “engagement bad” strategies don’t link to small appeasement cases that don’t initiate contacts over multiple issue-areas.

“Good” isn’t good enough — a strict definition of the topic mechanism is a prerequisite for in-depth research and robust clash over core issues.

Tournament: St Marks | Round: 1 | Opponent: Coppell BJ | Judge: Misael Gonzalez
Economic engagement requires direct contact with Cuba
Crocker 9 – Chester Crocker, Professor of Strategic Studies at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs (“Terms of Engagement”, New York Times, 9-13, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/opinion/14crocker.html?_r=0)
PRESIDENT OBAMA will have a hard time achieving his foreign policy goals until he masters…
hence, to modify its policies and its behavior.

Violation --- plan’s only a unilateral change in policy; it doesn’t increase dialogue between the U.S. and Cuba.

Voting issue ---

Limits --- requiring direct talks places a functional limit on the topic because few Affs can defend the process. Specific import cases can’t beat the PIC out of talks, controlling the Neg’s research burden.

Ground --- talks are a stable mechanism for DA links and competition for counterplans like two-track or quiet diplomacy --- core ground is key to fairness.

Tournament: MBA | Round: 4 | Opponent: Edgemont NJ | Judge: Daryl Burch
This debate should be a topical discussion, not a discussion of the topic. The role of the resolution is to invite both sides to the argumentative table by ensuring equal access to fair ground. This is the best interpretation of the resolution: it is most predictable, it encourages in-depth clash, and it reflects community consensus.
Galloway 7 — Ryan Galloway, Assistant Professor and Director of Debate at Samford University, 2007 (“Dinner and Conversation at the Argumentative Table: Re-Conceptualizing Debate As An Argumentative Dialogue,” Contemporary Argumentation and Debate, Volume 28, September, Available Online to Subscribing Institutions via Academic Search Premier, p. 13-15)
The central claim to this essay is that debate works best when it is …formulating their approach to both sides of the topic question.

Specifically, the resolution requires the affirmative to defend a substantial increase in the U.S. federal government’s economic engagement with Cuba, Mexico, or Venezuela—the topic is economic engagement.
Sneiderman 13 — Michelle Sneiderman, Writer for SIRS Researcher—an educational research service of ProQuest, 2013 (“SKS Spotlight on the 2013-14 National High School Debate Topic: Latin America,” SIRS Knowledge Source—a ProQuest blog, July 13th, Available Online at http://blogs.proquest.com/sks/sks-spotlight-on-the-2013-14-national-high-school-debate-topic-latin-america/, Accessed 08-31-2013)
Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its economic engagement toward Cuba, Mexico or Venezuela.
The United States provides…Learn more about Cuba, Venezuela, and Mexico in this month’s SKS Spotlight of the Month, and formulate your own educated opinion about these issues.
The affirmative does not meet this interpretation because they do not affirm a substantial increase in economic engagement with Cuba, Mexico, or Venezuela.
There are two net-benefits to our interpretation.

Subpoint A — Respectful Dialogue

First, the process of debating the assigned topic cultivates an ethos of argument that promotes respect. Identity-as-argument forecloses reasoned disagreement.
Anderson 6 — Amanda Anderson, Caroline Donovan Professor of English Literature and Department Chair at Johns Hopkins University, Senior Fellow at the School of Criticism and Theory at Cornell University, holds a Ph.D. in English from Cornell University, 2006 (“Beyond Sincerity and Authenticity: The Ethos of Proceduralism,” The Way We Argue Now: A Study in the Cultures of Theory, Published by Princeton University Press, ISBN 9780691114033, p. 186-187)
Let me conclude by trying to summarize what I take to be…fate, or the unconscious, but rather in the service of an aspiration toward universalism.

Second, tolerance requires recognition of disagreement, not abandonment of rules. Radical accommodation collapses argument into identity and renders democratic debate impossible.
Anderson 6 — Amanda Anderson, Caroline Donovan Professor of English Literature and Department Chair at Johns Hopkins University, Senior Fellow at the School of Criticism and Theory at Cornell University, holds a Ph.D. in English from Cornell University, 2006 (“Beyond Sincerity and Authenticity: The Ethos of Proceduralism,” The Way We Argue Now: A Study in the Cultures of Theory, Published by Princeton University Press, ISBN 9780691114033, p. 182-184)
The question of how dialogue under conditions of pluralism might …and phronesis, without disavowing its fundamental universalistic principles.

Third, tolerance requires recognition of disagreement, not abandonment of rules. Radical accommodation collapses argument into identity and renders democratic debate impossible.
Anderson 6 — Amanda Anderson, Caroline Donovan Professor of English Literature and Department Chair at Johns Hopkins University, Senior Fellow at the School of Criticism and Theory at Cornell University, holds a Ph.D. in English from Cornell University, 2006 (“Beyond Sincerity and Authenticity: The Ethos of Proceduralism,” The Way We Argue Now: A Study in the Cultures of Theory, Published by Princeton University Press, ISBN 9780691114033, p. 182-184)
The question of how dialogue under conditions of pluralism might ideally be conceived has led to alternate theories that define themselves…through tact and phronesis, without disavowing its fundamental universalistic principles.

Finally, establishing procedural rules for reason-giving argument is a form of respect, not coercion. Identity-based positions celebrate disagreement as an end-in-itself, foreclosing the possibility of persuasion and agreement through dialogue.
Anderson 6 — Amanda Anderson, Caroline Donovan Professor of English Literature and Department Chair at Johns Hopkins University, Senior Fellow at the School of Criticism and Theory at Cornell University, holds a Ph.D. in English from Cornell University, 2006 (“Reply to My Critic(s),” Criticism, Volume 48, Number 2, Spring, Available Online to Subscribing Institutions via Project MUSE, p. 281-282)
My recent book, The Way We Argue Now, has in a sense two live together in a post-traditional…pluralist society.

Subpoint B — Topic Education

First, debating about Latin America fosters informed global citizenship. Topic-centered debates open space for appreciating and reaffirming diversity.
Marcotte 10 — Margaret Marcotte, Programs in International Educational Resources Director at The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale University, 2010 (“Educational Outreach/Teacher Training Program,” Date Obtained from the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, Available Online at http://www.yale.edu/macmillan/lais/outreach.html, Accessed 08-30-2013)
CLAIS Outreach is part of The Programs in International Educational Resources (PIER) of The MacMillan Center, which draws upon Yale University’s extensive resources to develop and implement programs, services, and resources designed to advance understanding of international and world regional issues through outreach to education, business, media, and the public.
Our mission is to enhance and promote an open and critical understanding of the tools and skills needed…in order to be active and productive global citizens.  

Second, limits are important in the context of a topic about Latin America. Topicality is a prerequisite to effective contestation of power relations and knowledge production.
McClennen 3 — Sophia A. McClennen, Assistant Professor of Latin American studies at Illinois State University-Normal, 2003 (“After Civilization: The Theory and Practice of Introducing Latin American Culture,” ADFL Bulletin—a refereed journal published three times a year by the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages, a subsidiary of the Modern Language Association, Volume 34, Number 2, Winter, Available Online at http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/s/a/sam50/mcclennenadfl.htm, Accessed 08-29-2013)
David Dent and Paul Sondrol, both professors of Latin American affairs in political science departments, suggest …This type of public interaction teaches students that their opinions matter and demystifies the process of learning.

Third, debating the topic challenges students to articulate and defend positions grounded in the best evidence for and against the proposition. Knowledge of the topic increases depth of inquiry and quality of evaluation.
Lundberg 10 — Christian O. Lundberg, Associate Professor of Rhetoric in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Northwestern University, 2010 (“The Allred Initiative and Debate Across the Curriculum: Reinventing the Tradition of Debate at North Carolina,” Navigating Opportunity: Policy Debate in the 21st Century, Edited by Allan D. Louden, Published by the International Debate Education Association, ISBN 9781617700293, p. 299)
Part of the benefit of debate in this regard is that more than simply …as well as the judges and observers of such debates.

Finally, defending topical action ensures that the affirmative’s arguments are adequately tested by productive rejoinder—“trial by fire” is better than axiological acceptance as a means of opinion formation.  
Galloway 7 — Ryan Galloway, Assistant Professor and Director of Debate at Samford University, 2007 (“Dinner and Conversation at the Argumentative Table: Re-Conceptualizing Debate As An Argumentative Dialogue,” Contemporary Argumentation and Debate, Volume 28, September, Available Online to Subscribing Institutions via Academic Search Premier, p. 7-8)
In addition to the basic equity norm, dismissing the idea that …as well as the judges and observers of such debates.

Topicality must be a voting issue.

First, basic fairness requires access to predictable ground. They’ll accuse us of being exclusionary, but they have excluded us from the debate.
Galloway 7 — Ryan Galloway, Assistant Professor and Director of Debate at Samford University, 2007 (“Dinner and Conversation at the Argumentative Table: Re-Conceptualizing Debate As An Argumentative Dialogue,” Contemporary Argumentation and Debate, Volume 28, September, Available Online to Subscribing Institutions via Academic Search Premier, p. 12)
While affirmative teams often accuse the negative of using a juridical rule to exclude them, the affirmative also relies upon an unstated rule…meaningfully contribute to an ongoing conversation.

Second, innovation requires constraints—limiting the topic challenges students to think creatively.
Gibbert et al. 7 — Michael Gibbert, Assistant Professor of Management at Bocconi University (Italy), et al., with Martin Hoeglis, Professor of Leadership and Human Resource Management at WHU—Otto Beisheim School of Management (Germany), and Lifsa Valikangas, Professor of Innovation Management at the Helsinki School of Economics (Finland) and Director of the Woodside Institute, 2007 (“In Praise of Resource Constraints,” MIT Sloan Management Review, Spring, Available Online at https://umdrive.memphis.edu/gdeitz/public/The20Moneyball20Hypothesis/Gibbert20et20al.20-20SMR20(2007)20Praise20Resource20Constraints.pdf, Accessed 04-08-2012, p. 15-16)
Resource constraints can also fuel innovative team performance directly… creative analogies and combinations that would otherwise be hidden under a glut of resources.

Finally, topicality facilitates a process of successive debates that develops important skills and fosters appreciation for multiple perspectives.  Abandoning the topic forecloses the educational and democratic benefits of debate.
Lundberg 10 — Christian O. Lundberg, Associate Professor of Rhetoric in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Northwestern University, 2010 (“The Allred Initiative and Debate Across the Curriculum: Reinventing the Tradition of Debate at North Carolina,” Navigating Opportunity: Policy Debate in the 21st Century, Edited by Allan D. Louden, Published by the International Debate Education Association, ISBN 9781617700293, p. 299)
In response to the first critique, which ultimately reduces to the claims that debate …innovative and unique approaches to a problem as possible, and for translating them into publically useful positions.