1AC – Inherency
Inherency
Covert U.S. support for the Syrian opposition has been weak.

Deutsche Welle 4-20-11
“US funding of opposition complicates Obama's Damascus policy,” http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/014996885,00.html

The cables produced by WikiLeaks showed that while
AND
Assad than of the opposition."
The U.S. recently pledged to support the Syrian opposition.

David Ignatius - Washington Post Writers Group – 7-21-11
“U.S. ponders strategy to support Syria,” http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/jul/21/us-ponders-strategy-support-syria/

As the Obama administration
... a democratic transformation.”
However, absent further action, sectarian civil war is likely.

Elliot Abrams, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, 8-2-11
“Preventing Civil War in Syria,” Wall Street Journal, http://www.cfr.org/syria/preventing-civil-war-syria/p25576

Syria remains rocked by antiregime AND
form of military intervention.
Continued inaction in Syria will necessitate full-scale military intervention.

Elliot Abrams, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, 8-2-11
“Preventing Civil War in Syria,” Wall Street Journal, http://www.cfr.org/syria/preventing-civil-war-syria/p25576

There appears to be no U.S
AND
, or even some form of military intervention.
1AC—Syria
Advantage One – Syria
A. Harms.
U.S. and international pressure will force Assad to step down.

Martin S. Indyk, VP and Director, Foreign Policy, Brookings, 8/18/11
“Obama’s Belated Syria Hard Line,” The Daily Beast (Brookings), http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2011/0819_assad_syria_indyk.aspx

As for the credibility gap, Obama's slow
AND
Assad and his family henchmen to step aside.
However, the Syrian opposition is fragmented and not ready to take over the country

Global Post 9-2-11
“Can the Syrian opposition win?” http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/110901/syria-protests-bashar-assad-opposition

Now, five-and-a-
AND
. There’s a lot of ego, unfortunately.”
Lack of experience with political party organization undermines opposition unity.

Global Post 9-2-11
“Can the Syrian opposition win?” http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/110901/syria-protests-bashar-assad-opposition

Part of why it’s taken so long for
AND
hundreds believed to be scattered across the country.
Assad’s divide-and-conquer strategy will produce sectarian conflicts throughout the region.

Vali Nasr, International Politics Prof, Tufts, 8-27-11
“If the Arab Spring Turns Ugly,” New York Times Opinion Section, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/opinion/sunday/the-dangers-lurking-in-the-arab-spring.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

The Arab Spring is a hopeful chapter in
AND
Saudi Arabia, are already jousting for power.
Syria is the lynchpin to the broader conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Protracted conflict would trigger a broader Sunni-Shiite clash and destroy the Arab Spring.

Vali Nasr, International Politics Prof, Tufts, 8-27-11
“If the Arab Spring Turns Ugly,” New York Times Opinion Section, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/opinion/sunday/the-dangers-lurking-in-the-arab-spring.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

In March, fearing a snowball effect from
AND
Syria and Iraq, it is already happening.
Syrian civil war causes opportunistic attacks on Israel with no chance of reprisal.

Meir Javedanfar, Founder, MEEPAS (Middle East Economic and Political AnalysiS Company), 9-2-11
“Why Iran Eyes a Syrian Civil War,” The Diplomat, http://the-diplomat.com/2011/09/02/why-iran-eyes-syrian-civil-war/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+the-diplomat+%28The+Diplomat+RSS%29

Civil war in Syria would be a nightmare
AND
in an attempt to undermine its security further.
That will escalate to all-out nuclear war.

YNet News 9-5-11

AND
possibility of weapons of mass destruction being used."
Global.

John Steinbach, DC Iraq Coalition, Centre for Research on Globalisation, “Israeli Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Threat to Peace,” March 2002, http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/STE203A.html

Meanwhile, the existence of an arsenal of
AND
Middle East conflict could trigger a world conflagration."
B. Solvency.
U.S. assistance for Syrian opposition groups enhances the prospects of transformation.

Steven Heydemann, Senior VP, US Institute of Peace, 4-4-11 [Spelling Modified]
“Eyes on the prize,” The Middle East Channel (Foreign Policy), http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/04/04/eyes_on_the_prize

Perhaps. Yet this grand vision of a
AND
for long-term regime transformation in Damascus.
Training in political organization & rule of law for the NIC solves.

Mara E. Karlin, Former Special Assistant to the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (2007-9), and Andrew J. Tabler,  Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 5-25-11
“Obama's Push-Pull Strategy: How Washington Should Plan For A Post-Assad Syria,” Middle East Spectator, http://mespectator.blogspot.com/2011/05/end-of-days-for-assad.html

As the United States works to push Assad
AND
quickly arrange meetings with the newly elected leadership.
U.S. leadership can avert a civil war. The opposition can peel off Assad’s supporters with a commitment to democratic values supported by the U.S.

Elliot Abrams, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, 8-2-11
“Preventing Civil War in Syria,” Wall Street Journal, http://www.cfr.org/syria/preventing-civil-war-syria/p25576

American leadership can help avoid civil war.
AND
the post-Assad era that is coming.
The plan’s a key part of a coherent step-by-step approach.
Michael Singh, Managing Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 8-16-11
“The U.S. needs to speak clearly on Syria,” Foreign Policy, http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/08/16/the_us_needs_to_speak_clearly_on_syria

Affecting the outcome in Syria will require a
AND
in the Arab world broadly  is unmistakable.
Only the U.S. can assist the Syrian transition – the plan will build leverage over time.
Michael Young, Opinion Page Editor, Lebanon Daily Star, 5-19-11
 “An Obama road map to change in Syria.” Lebanon Daily Star, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/mobile/Article.aspx?id=139016.

We’ve heard Obama administration officials declare lately that
AND
only the United States can take such measures.
A democratic Syria would fundamentally alter the regional balance of power.

Steven Heydemann, Senior VP, US Institute of Peace, 4-4-11 [Spelling Modified]
“Eyes on the prize,” The Middle East Channel (Foreign Policy), http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/04/04/eyes_on_the_prize

For the U.S., the temptation
AND
.S. diplomat to the region suggested.

1AC—Prolif
Advantage Two – Proliferation
Iran’s likely to acquire nuclear weapons now—triggering a wave of regional proliferation.

Ash Jain, Visiting Scholar, visiting fellow at The Washington Institute, former member of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, former counsel for the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, former adjunct professor of constitutional law and politics at George Washington University, “Nuclear Weapons and Iran’s Global Ambitions: Troubling Scenarios,” Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Policy Focus #114, August 2011, http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/pubPDFs/PolicyFocus114.pdf

While the world’s attention has been focused on
AND
technology and nuclear material with its radical friends.
Escalates to nuclear war

Strobe Talbott – president – Brookings Institution – 8
Forward to A Path Out of the Desert – A Grand Strategy for America in the Middle East by Kenneth M. Pollack, p. x-xi

In more recent years, the Middle East
AND
region on Earth also the most heavily nuclearized.
Proliferation in the Middle East is uniquely destabilizing and likely to escalate

James A. Russell, Senior Lecturer, National Security Affairs, Naval Postgraduate School, 2009 (Spring)
“Strategic Stability Reconsidered: Prospects for Escalation and Nuclear War in the Middle East”
IFRI, Proliferation Papers, #26, http://www.ifri.org/downloads/PP26_Russell_2009.pdf

Strategic stability in the region is thus undermined
AND
, with substantial risk for the entire world.
Assisting Syrian democracy is key to contain Iranian nuclearization and Middle East instability.

Kelly Maggio, Young Leaders Program, Heritage Foundation, 6-30-11
““Arab Spring” Offers Opportunity to Split Syria from Iran,” The Foundry, http://blog.heritage.org/2011/06/30/arab-spring-offers-opportunity-to-split-syria-from-iran/

Nuclear proliferation is one of the most serious
AND
States is fully committed to stopping Iran’s ambitions.

Proliferation is likely and would spread globally

James A. Russell, Senior Lecturer, National Security Affairs, Naval Postgraduate School, ‘8
“A Tipping Point Realized? Nuclear Proliferation in the Persian Gulf and Middle East”
Contemporary Security Policy, 29(3): 521-537, DOI: 10.1080/13523260802514860

The Persian Gulf and the wider Middle East
AND
East could today be at that tipping point.

1AC – Plan
Plan: The United States federal government should provide political party building and communication assistance for opposition groups in Syria.
Underview
International fiat unlimits – there are too many international actors to effectively research.

Tiina Vahtras, European Master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation, K.U. Leuven, ’8
Promoting Democracy in Africa: Case Study of the Democratic Republic of Congo
(Master’s Thesis), www.humanrights.ee/files/MT_VAHTRAS_TIINA.pdf

I will discuss the national and international efforts
AND
analysis on some most influential and meaningful initiatives.

Educational benefits can be achieved by focusing on the U.S. – international democracy assistance isn’t much different.

Thomas Carothers, Director, Democracy and Rule of Law Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, ’9
Aiding Democracy Abroad: The Learning Curve, p.

My focus throughout is democracy aid funded by
AND
striking is not their differences but their similarities.

1AC – INH

Inherency.

The U.S. has supported Syrian opposition groups for years.

Deutsche Welle 4-20-11

“US funding of opposition complicates Obama's Damascus policy,” http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0_{14996885,00.html}

The cables produced by WikiLeaks showed that while

AND

more supportive of Assad than of the opposition."
Assistance is provided by the State Department.

David B. Gootnick, Director, International Affairs and Trade, GAO, ’9

“Democracy Assistance: U.S. Agencies Take Steps to Coordinate International Programs but Lack Information on Some U.S. Funded Activities,” GAO-09-993, Sep. 28, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09993.pdf, p. 46

Table 6 shows the USAID, State DRL

AND

filling in the gaps in USAID democracy funding.

Recently, the U.S. reaffirmed its pledge to support the Syrian opposition.

David Ignatius - Washington Post Writers Group – 7-21-11

“U.S. ponders strategy to support Syria,” http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/jul/21/us-ponders-strategy-support-syria/

As the Obama administration steps up its support

AND

“our goal is ... a democratic transformation.”

The U.S. claims the mantle of having provided consistent, sustained support to the Syrian opposition.

Michael H. Posner, Assistant Secretary of State, Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 7-27-11

“Axis of Abuse: U.S. Human Rights Policy toward Iran and Syria, Part 1,” House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia, Congressional Documents and Publications, Lexis

Our efforts to support the Iranian and Syrian

AND

the Committee again, and welcome your questions.

Still, the U.S. has no real strategy. Sectarian civil war is likely.

Elliot Abrams, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, 8-2-11

“Preventing Civil War in Syria,” Wall Street Journal, http://www.cfr.org/syria/preventing-civil-war-syria/p25576

Syria remains rocked by antiregime protests that have

AND

, or even some form of military intervention.

State doesn’t conduct evaluations of its assistance.

David B. Gootnick, Director, International Affairs and Trade, GAO, ’10

“Democracy Assistance: U.S. Agencies Take Steps to Coordinate International Programs but Lack Information on Some U.S. Funded Activities,” GAO-09-993, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09993.pdf, p. 37

52 According to State DRL officials, State

AND

of programs but does not evaluate every grant.

Assad’s fall is inevitable.

Salwa Ismail, professor of politics with reference to the Middle East at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, “Bashar al-Assad's fall is inevitable,” The Guardian, 8-26, 2011. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/26/assad-fall-inevitable-syrians-intervention

The dramatic developments in Libya are raising comparisons

AND

that the regime is incapable of maintaining stability.

Continued inaction in Syria will provoke full-scale military intervention.

Elliot Abrams, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, 8-2-11

“Preventing Civil War in Syria,” Wall Street Journal, http://www.cfr.org/syria/preventing-civil-war-syria/p25576

There appears to be no U.S

AND

, or even some form of military intervention.

1AC – ADV – MB

Advantage - Sectarian Conflict

A. Harms.

In fact, current U.S. democracy assistance strengthens the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria.[a1] 

IPT (Investigative Project on Terrorism), Citing Farid Ghadry, President, Reform Party of Syria (RPS), 6-6-11

“Ghadry: Assad Will Fall, But the Brotherhood May Follow,” Delivered by Newstex, Lexis

As he looks towards the future, Ghadry

AND

future, then the region is in trouble.”

MB is an active part of the opposition in Syria, though there’s little precise information.

Hossein Ruyvaran, Middle East Affairs Expert, 8-13-11

Chair, Political Commission, Society for the Defense of the Nation of Palestine, “Iranian expert says dialogue ‘only’ solution to Syrian crisis,” Jaam-e Jam [BBC-LEXIS]

Q: If we note the extent of

AND

opponents are youth whose leanings are not known.
Critical knowledge failures ensure that the U.S. will stoke sectarian tensions.

Barry Rubin, Director, GLORIA (Global Research in International Affairs) Center, 8-15-11

“The big split in the revolutionary Islamist movement,” Jerusalem Post (LEXIS)

What does this mean for the West and

AND

are unlikely to comprehend this one, either.

A divide-and-conquer strategy will produce sectarian conflicts throughout the region.

Vali Nasr, International Politics Prof, Tufts, 8-27-11

“If the Arab Spring Turns Ugly,” New York Times Opinion Section, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/opinion/sunday/the-dangers-lurking-in-the-arab-spring.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

The Arab Spring is a hopeful chapter in

AND

Saudi Arabia, are already jousting for power.

Syria is the lynchpin to the broader conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Protracted conflict would trigger a broader Sunni-Shiite clash and destroy the Arab Spring.

Vali Nasr, International Politics Prof, Tufts, 8-27-11

“If the Arab Spring Turns Ugly,” New York Times Opinion Section, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/opinion/sunday/the-dangers-lurking-in-the-arab-spring.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

In March, fearing a snowball effect from

AND

Syria and Iraq, it is already happening.

B. Solvency. Replacing naïveté with perspective facilitates understanding and enables redirection of funds.

IPT (Investigative Project on Terrorism), Citing Farid Ghadry, President, Reform Party of Syria (RPS), 6-6-11

“Ghadry: Assad Will Fall, But the Brotherhood May Follow,” Delivered by Newstex, Lexis

As he looks towards the future, Ghadry

AND

we should all unite to defend ourselves against.”

Assisting pro-democratic forces limits the resources the MB can use against its opponents and prevents a repeat of the Iranian Revolution in Syria.

IPT (Investigative Project on Terrorism), Citing Farid Ghadry, President, Reform Party of Syria, (RPS), 6-6-11

“Ghadry: Assad Will Fall, But the Brotherhood May Follow,” Delivered by Newstex, Lexis

Ghadry urges the Obama Administration to take action

AND

United States and the Western, democratic world.

1AC – Plan

Plan: The United States Department of State should commission participatory evaluations of its so-called democracy assistance programs for Syria. Evaluations should employ the methodology used for producing Religious Freedom Reports.

1AC – Solvency

The plan is democracy assistance because the method of evaluation is democratic.

Peter Burnell, Politics and International Studies Prof, Warwick, '7
Evaluating Democracy Support: Methods and Experiences, http://www.adb.org/evaluation/documents/EvaluatingDemocracySupport.pdf, pp. 17-18

One further and rather special reason for

AND

and would-be beneficiaries in the field.

The plan is democracy assistance because it exemplifies democratic values.

Thomas Carothers, Topic Guru, ’93

Founder & Director, Democracy and Rule of Law Program, Carnegie Endowment, Foreign operations, export financing, and related programs appropriations for fiscal year 1994: hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, Mar. 2, http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/export-financing-united-states-congress-senate-committee-on-appr/foreign-operations-export-financing-and-related-programs-appropriations-for-fi-tin/page-15-foreign-operations-export-financing-and-related-programs-appropriations-for-fi-tin.shtml

TYPES OF DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE I have spoken much

AND

of persons to and from the United States.

Participatory evaluation inculcates democratic values, replacing hierarchical relationships with shared ownership.

Peter Burnell, Politics and International Studies Prof, Warwick, ’8.

 “From Evaluating Democracy Assistance to Appraising Democracy Promotion,” Political Studies 56 (2) (June 1): 414-434. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9248.2007.00653.x

One view is that the purpose of assessing

AND

However, that is easier said than done.

State can effectively compile information from multiple sources – Religious Freedom Reports prove.

Brian J. Grim, Senior Researcher, Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life, et al., ’6

“Measuring International Socio-Religious Values and Conflict by Coding US State Department Reports,” JSM Proceedings, AAPOR-Section on Survey Research Methods, American Association of Public Opinion Researchers (AAPOR) annual conference, https://www.amstat.org/sections/srms/Proceedings/y2006/Files/JSM2006-000040.pdf, p. 4125

4. Conclusions Cross-national data on

AND

data, such questions can be empirically explored.

The plan will demonstrate the value of evaluations and help determine which projects to use in which conditions.

NRC Committee on Evaluation of USAID Democracy Assistance Programs ’8

Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research, http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12164.html, pp. 216-217 [ACG]

Conclusions The potential changes to current USAID policy

AND

which conditions, to best assist democratic progress.

A commitment to evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs would enable more effective programming of future democracy assistance funds. Senior commitment to evaluation will inculcate a culture of effectiveness.

NRC Committee on Evaluation of USAID Democracy Assistance Programs ’8

Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research, http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12164.html, pp. 220-221 [ACG]

Providing Leadership and Strategic Vision Obtaining more impact

AND

may cause harm or may simply be ineffective.

The plan enables the U.S. to bear witness and respond to events in Syria.

Michael H. Posner, Assistant Secretary of State, Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 7-27-11

“Axis of Abuse: U.S. Human Rights Policy toward Iran and Syria, Part 1,” House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia, Congressional Documents and Publications, Lexis

In bearing witness to these terrible abuses,

AND

Syrian government about the need to change course.

The plan’s a key part of a coherent step-by-step approach.

Michael Singh, Managing Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 8-16-11

“The U.S. needs to speak clearly on Syria,” Foreign Policy, http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/08/16/the_us_needs_to_speak_clearly_on_syria

Affecting the outcome in Syria will require a

AND

in the Arab world broadly  is unmistakable.

Only the U.S. can assist the Syrian transition – the plan will build leverage over time.

Michael Young, Opinion Page Editor, Lebanon Daily Star, 5-19-11

 “An Obama road map to change in Syria.” Lebanon Daily Star, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/mobile/Article.aspx?id=139016.

We’ve heard Obama administration officials declare lately that

AND

only the United States can take such measures.

Academic debate over policy issues like the response to the Arab Spring is critical to shape and improve the direction of policy and correct governmental mis-information- esoteric abstractions cede the policy process to status-quo interests

Walt 11 – Stephen M. Walt, Professor of International Affairs at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, July 21, 2011, “International Affairs and the Public Sphere,” online: http://publicsphere.ssrc.org/walt-international-affairs-and-the-public-sphere/

Academics can make at least three distinct contributions

AND

than the scholars who produce it might wish.

American public discourse on democracy assistance is crucial to breaking down the clash of civilization discourse that has created Islamaphobia and Orientalism

TELHAMI 5, SHIBLEY Anwar Sadat professor for peace and development, University of Maryland “Democracy: Rising Tide or Mirage” Middle East Policy Vol 12 Issue 2 May 23 2005 Wiley

I think we all agree that, no

AND

sharpness of the clash on the other side.

1AC – INH

Inherency.

The U.S. has supported Syrian opposition groups for years.

Deutsche Welle 4-20-11

“US funding of opposition complicates Obama's Damascus policy,”

The cables produced by WikiLeaks showed that while

AND

more supportive of Assad than of the opposition."

Assistance is provided by the State Department for Syria.

David B. Gootnick, Director, International Affairs and Trade, GAO, ’9

“Democracy Assistance: U.S. Agencies Take Steps to Coordinate International Programs but Lack Information on Some U.S. Funded Activities,” GAO-09-993, Sep. 28, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09993.pdf, pp. 46-49

Table 6 shows the USAID, State DRL

AND

, the number of countries increases to 97.

Recently, the U.S. reaffirmed its pledge to support the Syrian opposition.

David Ignatius - Washington Post Writers Group – 7-21-11

“U.S. ponders strategy to support Syria,” http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/jul/21/us-ponders-strategy-support-syria/

As the Obama administration steps up its support

AND

“our goal is ... a democratic transformation.”

The U.S. claims the mantle of having provided consistent, sustained support to the Syrian opposition.

Michael H. Posner, Assistant Secretary of State, Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 7-27-11

“Axis of Abuse: U.S. Human Rights Policy toward Iran and Syria, Part 1,” House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia, Congressional Documents and Publications, Lexis

Our efforts to support the Iranian and Syrian

AND

the Committee again, and welcome your questions.

Still, the U.S. has no real strategy. Sectarian civil war is likely.

Elliot Abrams, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, 8-2-11

“Preventing Civil War in Syria,” Wall Street Journal, http://www.cfr.org/syria/preventing-civil-war-syria/p25576

Syria remains rocked by antiregime protests that have

AND

, or even some form of military intervention.

State doesn’t conduct evaluations of its assistance.

David B. Gootnick, Director, International Affairs and Trade, GAO, ’10

“Democracy Assistance: U.S. Agencies Take Steps to Coordinate International Programs but Lack Information on Some U.S. Funded Activities,” GAO-09-993, , p. 37

⁵² According to State DRL officials, State

AND

of programs but does not evaluate every grant.

U.S. and international pressure will force Assad to step down.

Martin S. Indyk, VP and Director, Foreign Policy, Brookings, 8/18/11

“Obama’s Belated Syria Hard Line,” The Daily Beast (Brookings), http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2011/0819_assad_syria_indyk.aspx

As for the credibility gap, Obama's slow

AND

Assad and his family henchmen to step aside.

Economic woes will drive Assad from power

Michael Young, Opinion Editor, Lebanon Daily Star, 9-29-11

“The Syrian intifada, a grim update,” http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Columnist/2011/Sep-29/149961-the-syrian-intifada-a-grim-update.ashx#axzz1ZY5GoUVB

This week two news items revealed Assad’s mounting

AND

security services, and predominantly Alawite armed gangs.

Continued inaction in Syria will provoke full-scale military intervention.

Elliot Abrams, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, 8-2-11

“Preventing Civil War in Syria,” Wall Street Journal, http://www.cfr.org/syria/preventing-civil-war-syria/p25576

There appears to be no U.S

AND

, or even some form of military intervention.

The U.S. will increase assistance after Assad falls.

POMED, Citing Stephen McInerney, POMED Executive Director, 10-13-11

“POMED Notes: Strengthening Arab Democracy: U.S. Assistance after the Uprisings,” [WPT UPD]

Meanwhile, Syria presents a different case for

AND

to providing U.S. democracy assistance.”

1AC – ADV

Advantage - Syria

Current U.S. democracy assistance priorities in Syria are skewed—marginalizing the opposition

IPT (Investigative Project on Terrorism), Citing Farid Ghadry, President, Reform Party of Syria (RPS), 6-6-11

“Ghadry: Assad Will Fall, But the Brotherhood May Follow,” Delivered by Newstex, Lexis

As he looks towards the future, Ghadry

AND

future, then the region is in trouble.”

Syrian opposition is split—some elements are non-secular

Hossein Ruyvaran, Middle East Affairs Expert, 8-13-11

Chair, Political Commission, Society for the Defense of the Nation of Palestine, “Iranian expert says dialogue ‘only’ solution to Syrian crisis,” Jaam-e Jam [BBC-LEXIS]

Q: If we note the extent of

AND

opponents are youth whose leanings are not known.

Critical knowledge failures ensure that the U.S. will stoke sectarian tensions.

Barry Rubin, Director, GLORIA (Global Research in International Affairs) Center, 8-15-11

“The big split in the revolutionary Islamist movement,” Jerusalem Post (LEXIS)

What does this mean for the West and

AND

are unlikely to comprehend this one, either.

A divide-and-conquer strategy will produce sectarian conflicts throughout the region.

Vali Nasr, International Politics Prof, Tufts, 8-27-11

“If the Arab Spring Turns Ugly,” New York Times Opinion Section,

The Arab Spring is a hopeful chapter in

AND

Saudi Arabia, are already jousting for power.

Syria is the lynchpin to the broader conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Protracted conflict would trigger a broader Sunni-Shiite clash.

Vali Nasr, International Politics Prof, Tufts, 8-27-11

“If the Arab Spring Turns Ugly,” New York Times Opinion Section,

In March, fearing a snowball effect from

AND

Syria and Iraq, it is already happening.

Largest threat to one-fourth of the world

Shibil Sidiqqi, Fellow, Centre for the Study of Global Power and Politics, 4-15-10

“Terrorism: The nuclear summit's 'straw man',”

However, the president's assessment of global nuclear

AND

that clearly remains the largest global nuclear threat.

Syrian civil war causes opportunistic attacks on Israel with no chance of reprisal.

Meir Javedanfar, Founder, MEEPAS (Middle East Economic and Political AnalysiS Company), 9-2-11

“Why Iran Eyes a Syrian Civil War,” The Diplomat,

Civil war in Syria would be a nightmare

AND

in an attempt to undermine its security further.

That will escalate to all-out nuclear war.

YNet News 9-5-11

AND

possibility of weapons of mass destruction being used."

Global.

John Steinbach, DC Iraq Coalition, Centre for Research on Globalisation, “Israeli Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Threat to Peace,” March 2002, http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/STE203A.html

Meanwhile, the existence of an arsenal of

AND

Middle East conflict could trigger a world conflagration."

Replacing naïveté with perspective facilitates understanding and enables redirection of funds.

IPT (Investigative Project on Terrorism), Citing Farid Ghadry, President, Reform Party of Syria (RPS), 6-6-11

“Ghadry: Assad Will Fall, But the Brotherhood May Follow,” Delivered by Newstex, Lexis

As he looks towards the future, Ghadry

AND

we should all unite to defend ourselves against.”

Assisting pro-democratic forces solves mis-prioritized aid and prevents a repeat of the Iranian Revolution in Syria.

IPT (Investigative Project on Terrorism), Citing Farid Ghadry, President, Reform Party of Syria, (RPS), 6-6-11

“Ghadry: Assad Will Fall, But the Brotherhood May Follow,” Delivered by Newstex, Lexis

Ghadry urges the Obama Administration to take action

AND

United States and the Western, democratic world.

1AC – Plan

Plan: The United States Department of State should commission participatory evaluations of its so-called democracy assistance programs for Syria.

1AC – Solvency

The plan is democracy assistance because the method of evaluation is democratic.

Peter Burnell, Politics and International Studies Prof

AND

and would-be beneficiaries in the field.

The plan is democracy assistance because it exemplifies democratic values.

Thomas Carothers, Topic Guru, ’93

Founder & Director, Democracy and Rule of Law Program, Carnegie Endowment, Foreign operations, export financing, and related programs appropriations for fiscal year 1994: hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, Mar. 2, http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/export-financing-united-states-congress-senate-committee-on-appr/foreign-operations-export-financing-and-related-programs-appropriations-for-fi-tin/page-15-foreign-operations-export-financing-and-related-programs-appropriations-for-fi-tin.shtml

TYPES OF DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE I have spoken much

AND

of persons to and from the United States.

Evaluation itself is technical capacity building in democratic governance.

Peter Burnell, Politics and International Studies Prof, Warwick, ’8.

 “From Evaluating Democracy Assistance to Appraising Democracy Promotion,” Political Studies 56 (2) (June 1): 414-434. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9248.2007.00653.x

One view is that the purpose of assessing

AND

participant appraisal of strategies begins to look unassailable.

Evaluation comes from democracy assistance budget and is substantial.

Burnell, Previously Qualified, ’7

Evaluating Democracy Support: Methods and Experiences, pp. 38-39

All these and similar questions go well beyond

AND

organization and prevent it from pursuing its goals.

Burnell uses support and assistance synonymously.

Peter Burnell, Politics and International Studies

AND

democracy assistance and support for democracy-building.

State can effectively compile information from multiple sources – Religious Freedom Reports prove.

Brian J. Grim, Senior Researcher, Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life, et al., ’6

“Measuring International Socio-Religious Values and Conflict by Coding US State Department Reports,” JSM Proceedings, AAPOR-Section on Survey Research Methods, American Association of Public Opinion Researchers (AAPOR) annual conference, https://www.amstat.org/sections/srms/Proceedings/y2006/Files/JSM2006-000040.pdf, p. 4125

4. Conclusions Cross-national data on

AND

data, such questions can be empirically explored.

A commitment to evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs would enable more effective programming of future democracy assistance funds. Senior commitment to evaluation will inculcate a culture of effectiveness.

NRC Committee on Evaluation of USAID Democracy Assistance Programs ’8

Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research, http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12164.html, pp. 220-221 [ACG]

Providing Leadership and Strategic Vision Obtaining more impact

AND

may cause harm or may simply be ineffective.

Democracy assistance can be effective if it’s not overbearing. Evaluation and long-term planning are essential.

Lincoln A. Mitchell, International Politics Prof, Columbia, and David L. Phillips, Project Director, NCAFP (National Committee on American Foreign Policy), ’8

Enhancing Democracy Assistance: A Research Project of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy AND Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University AND The Atlantic Council of the United States, Jan., , p. 3 [WPT UPD]

Today's global setting poses several distinct challenges to

AND

staff, and emphasizing more rigorous project evaluation.

The plan’s a key part of a coherent step-by-step approach.

Michael Singh, Managing Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 8-16-11

“The U.S. needs to speak clearly on Syria,” Foreign Policy, http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/08/16/the_us_needs_to_speak_clearly_on_syria

Affecting the outcome in Syria will require a

AND

in the Arab world broadly -- is unmistakable.

Only the U.S. can assist the Syrian transition – the plan will build leverage over time.

Michael Young, Opinion Page Editor, Lebanon Daily Star, 5-19-11

 “An Obama road map to change in Syria.” Lebanon Daily Star, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/mobile/Article.aspx?id=139016.

We’ve heard Obama administration officials declare lately that

AND

only the United States can take such measures.

The plan will demonstrate the value of evaluations and help determine which projects to use in which conditions.

NRC Committee on Evaluation of USAID Democracy Assistance Programs ’8

Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research, , pp. 216-217 [ACG]

Conclusions The potential changes to current USAID policy

AND

which conditions, to best assist democratic progress.

NEG ARGs support improving – not eliminating – democracy assistance.

POMED, Citing Laith Kubba, Senior Director, MENA (Middle East and North Africa), NED (National Endowment for Democracy), 10-13-11

“POMED Notes: Strengthening Arab Democracy: U.S. Assistance after the Uprisings,” http://pomed.org/blog/2011/10/pomed-notes-strengthening-arab-democracy-u-s-assistance-after-the-uprisings.html

Kubba outlined some of the general concerns with

AND

despite its shortcomings, “is absolutely needed.”

Aff: Cornell CW

Round #4  Tournament: Shirley

vs: Kansas KK

Judge: Kevin Kallmyer

Plan Text

The United States Department of State should commission participatory evaluations of its so-called democracy assistance programs for Syria that the Department of State implements.

1ac Advantages

Syria

            Saudi-Iran conflict

            ME War

2ac Offense

Advantage

            Pakistan is the world’s largest danger

Patriarchy K

            Orientalist ideology ignores true suffering

Government Shutdown Politics DA

            ME War cause oil price spikes

            Kills the economy

            Winners win

1ar Strategy

2ar Strategy

Aff:Cornell CW

Round # 2  Tournament: Shirley

vs: Vanderbilt SW

Judge: Matt Struth

Plan Text

The United Department of State should Commission participatory evaluations of its so-called democracy assistance programs for Syria.

1ac Advantages

Syria civil war

2ac Offense

Middle East instability -->oil shocks add on politics

Link turns on poolitis

Evaluation solvency

1ar Strategy

Extended link turns on politics

Extend solvency deficits on cp

Extend oil shocks

T

2ar Strategy

T Democracy assistance

1AC – INH

Inherency.

The U.S. has supported Syrian opposition groups for years.

Deutsche Welle 4-20-11

“US funding of opposition complicates Obama's Damascus policy,” http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0_{14996885,00.html}

The cables produced by WikiLeaks showed that while

AND

more supportive of Assad than of the opposition."

Assistance is provided by the State Department for Syria.

David B. Gootnick, Director, International Affairs and Trade, GAO, ’9

“Democracy Assistance: U.S. Agencies Take Steps to Coordinate International Programs but Lack Information on Some U.S. Funded Activities,” GAO-09-993, Sep. 28, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09993.pdf, pp. 46-49

Table 6 shows the USAID, State DRL

AND

, the number of countries increases to 97.

Recently, the U.S. reaffirmed its pledge to support the Syrian opposition.

David Ignatius - Washington Post Writers Group – 7-21-11

“U.S. ponders strategy to support Syria,” http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/jul/21/us-ponders-strategy-support-syria/

As the Obama administration steps up its support

AND

“our goal is ... a democratic transformation.”

The U.S. claims the mantle of having provided consistent, sustained support to the Syrian opposition.

Michael H. Posner, Assistant Secretary of State, Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 7-27-11

“Axis of Abuse: U.S. Human Rights Policy toward Iran and Syria, Part 1,” House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia, Congressional Documents and Publications, Lexis

Our efforts to support the Iranian and Syrian

AND

the Committee again, and welcome your questions.

Still, the U.S. has no real strategy. Sectarian civil war is likely.

Elliot Abrams, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, 8-2-11

“Preventing Civil War in Syria,” Wall Street Journal, http://www.cfr.org/syria/preventing-civil-war-syria/p25576

Syria remains rocked by antiregime protests that have

AND

, or even some form of military intervention.

State doesn’t conduct evaluations of its assistance.

David B. Gootnick, Director, International Affairs and Trade, GAO, ’10

“Democracy Assistance: U.S. Agencies Take Steps to Coordinate International Programs but Lack Information on Some U.S. Funded Activities,” GAO-09-993, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09993.pdf, p. 37

52 According to State DRL officials, State

AND

of programs but does not evaluate every grant.

Credible evidence proves Assad will fall.

Anderson, Former Director, Middle East Policy, DoD, November '11

James H., Also: Director, Middle East Policy, DoD ('06-'09), International and Security Studies Prof, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Nov-Dec, "After the Fall: What’s Next for Assad and Syria?" World Affairs Journal, http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/after-fall-what%E2%80%99s-next-assad-and-syria [WFU]

Getting a clear read on developments in Syria

AND

the Gulf Cooperation Council have criticized Assad’s behavior.

Continued inaction in Syria will provoke full-scale military intervention.

Elliot Abrams, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, 8-2-11

“Preventing Civil War in Syria,” Wall Street Journal, http://www.cfr.org/syria/preventing-civil-war-syria/p25576

There appears to be no U.S

AND

, or even some form of military intervention.

The U.S. will increase assistance after Assad falls.

POMED, Citing Stephen McInerney, POMED Executive Director, 10-13-11

“POMED Notes: Strengthening Arab Democracy: U.S. Assistance after the Uprisings,” http://pomed.org/blog/2011/10/pomed-notes-strengthening-arab-democracy-u-s-assistance-after-the-uprisings.html [WPT UPD]

Meanwhile, Syria presents a different case for

AND

to providing U.S. democracy assistance.”

1AC – ADV

Advantage - Syria

Current U.S. democracy assistance priorities in Syria are skewed—marginalizing the opposition

IPT (Investigative Project on Terrorism), Citing Farid Ghadry, President, Reform Party of Syria (RPS), 6-6-11

“Ghadry: Assad Will Fall, But the Brotherhood May Follow,” Delivered by Newstex, Lexis

As he looks towards the future, Ghadry

AND

future, then the region is in trouble.”

Syrian opposition is split—some elements are non-secular

Hossein Ruyvaran, Middle East Affairs Expert, 8-13-11

Chair, Political Commission, Society for the Defense of the Nation of Palestine, “Iranian expert says dialogue ‘only’ solution to Syrian crisis,” Jaam-e Jam [BBC-LEXIS]

Q: If we note the extent of

AND

opponents are youth whose leanings are not known.

A divide-and-conquer strategy will produce sectarian conflicts throughout the region.

Vali Nasr, International Politics Prof, Tufts, 8-27-11
“If the Arab Spring Turns Ugly,” New York Times Opinion Section, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/opinion/sunday/the-dangers-lurking-in-the-arab-spring.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

The Arab Spring is a hopeful chapter in
AND
Saudi Arabia, are already jousting for power.
Syria is the lynchpin to the broader conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Protracted conflict would trigger a broader Sunni-Shiite clash.

Vali Nasr, International Politics Prof, Tufts, 8-27-11
“If the Arab Spring Turns Ugly,” New York Times Opinion Section, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/opinion/sunday/the-dangers-lurking-in-the-arab-spring.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2
 

In March, fearing a snowball effect from
AND
Syria and Iraq, it is already happening.
Largest threat to one-fourth of the world

Shibil Sidiqqi, Fellow, Centre for the Study of Global Power and Politics, 4-15-10

“Terrorism: The nuclear summit's 'straw man',” http://98.130.246.96/archive_articles_details.asp?articleid=1055&typeid=3

However, the president's assessment of global nuclear

AND

that clearly remains the largest global nuclear threat.

Syrian civil war causes opportunistic attacks on Israel with no chance of reprisal.

Meir Javedanfar, Founder, MEEPAS (Middle East Economic and Political AnalysiS Company), 9-2-11

“Why Iran Eyes a Syrian Civil War,” The Diplomat, http://the-diplomat.com/2011/09/02/why-iran-eyes-syrian-civil-war/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+the-diplomat+%28The+Diplomat+RSS%29

Civil war in Syria would be a nightmare

AND

in an attempt to undermine its security further.

That will escalate to all-out nuclear war.

YNet News 9-5-11

AND

possibility of weapons of mass destruction being used."

Global.

John Steinbach, DC Iraq Coalition, Centre for Research on Globalisation, “Israeli Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Threat to Peace,” March 2002, http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/STE203A.html

Meanwhile, the existence of an arsenal of

AND

Middle East conflict could trigger a world conflagration."

Saudi Arabia will host Pakistani nuclear weapons in response to sectarian violence and deteriorating relations with the U.S.

Guzansky, Institute for National Security Studies, ’11 [Gender Modified]

Yoel, 7-1, “Tehran tests Saudis’ nerve on nuclear weapons,” The Australian, http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/tehran-tests-saudis-nerve-on-nuclear-weapons/story-e6frg6ux-1226085108555

Until recently it appeared that US security guarantees

AND

exempt from intrusive International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring.

South-Asian nuclear instability would result.

Roberts, History Prof, Cambridge, ’11

Andrew, Also: Royal Society of Literature Fellow, Jan. 2, “Iran’s Nuclear Domino Effect,” THE DAILY BEAST, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/01/02/irans-nuclear-weapons-could-lead-to-a-saudi-and-pakistan-alliance.html [WFU]

Where Edelman goes an important stage further than

AND

nuclear situation in South Asia significantly more dangerous.

That ends the world

Alan Robock is professor of climatology at Rutgers University and associate director of the school's Center for Environmental Prediction, where he studies many aspects of climate change. He is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society and a participant in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and Owen Brian Toon is chair of the department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder and a fellow of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics there. He is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union. “South Asian Threat? Local Nuclear War = Global Suffering”, from the January 2010 issue of Scientific American magazine

People have several incorrect impressions about nuclear winter

AND

enough smoke to create a global environmental disaster.

Replacing naïveté with perspective facilitates understanding and enables redirection of funds.

IPT (Investigative Project on Terrorism), Citing Farid Ghadry, President, Reform Party of Syria (RPS), 6-6-11

“Ghadry: Assad Will Fall, But the Brotherhood May Follow,” Delivered by Newstex, Lexis

As he looks towards the future, Ghadry

AND

we should all unite to defend ourselves against.”

Assisting pro-democratic forces solves mis-prioritized aid and prevents a repeat of the Iranian Revolution in Syria.

IPT (Investigative Project on Terrorism), Citing Farid Ghadry, President, Reform Party of Syria, (RPS), 6-6-11

“Ghadry: Assad Will Fall, But the Brotherhood May Follow,” Delivered by Newstex, Lexis

Ghadry urges the Obama Administration to take action

AND

United States and the Western, democratic world.

1AC – Plan

Plan: The United States Department of State should commission participatory evaluations of so-called democracy assistance programs for Syria that the Department of State implements.

1AC – Solvency

The plan is democracy assistance because the method of evaluation is democratic.

Peter Burnell, Politics and International Studies Prof

AND

and would-be beneficiaries in the field.

The plan is democracy assistance because it exemplifies democratic values.

Thomas Carothers, Topic Guru, ’93

Founder & Director, Democracy and Rule of Law Program, Carnegie Endowment, Foreign operations, export financing, and related programs appropriations for fiscal year 1994: hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, Mar. 2, http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/export-financing-united-states-congress-senate-committee-on-appr/foreign-operations-export-financing-and-related-programs-appropriations-for-fi-tin/page-15-foreign-operations-export-financing-and-related-programs-appropriations-for-fi-tin.shtml

TYPES OF DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE I have spoken much

AND

of persons to and from the United States.

Evaluation itself is technical capacity building in democratic governance.

Peter Burnell, Politics and International Studies Prof, Warwick, ’8.

 “From Evaluating Democracy Assistance to Appraising Democracy Promotion,” Political Studies 56 (2) (June 1): 414-434. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9248.2007.00653.x

One view is that the purpose of assessing

AND

participant appraisal of strategies begins to look unassailable.

Evaluation comes from democracy assistance budget and is substantial.

Burnell, Previously Qualified, ’7

EVALUATING DEMOCRACY SUPPORT: METHODS AND EXPERIENCES, pp. 38-39

All these and similar questions go well beyond

AND

organization and prevent it from pursuing its goals.

Burnell uses support and assistance synonymously.

Peter Burnell, Politics and International Studies

AND

democracy assistance and support for democracy-building.

State can effectively compile information from multiple sources – Religious Freedom Reports prove.

Brian J. Grim, Senior Researcher, Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life, et al., ’6

“Measuring International Socio-Religious Values and Conflict by Coding US State Department Reports,” JSM Proceedings, AAPOR-Section on Survey Research Methods, American Association of Public Opinion Researchers (AAPOR) annual conference, https://www.amstat.org/sections/srms/Proceedings/y2006/Files/JSM2006-000040.pdf, p. 4125

4. Conclusions Cross-national data on

AND

data, such questions can be empirically explored.

A commitment to evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs would enable more effective programming of future democracy assistance funds. Senior commitment to evaluation will inculcate a culture of effectiveness.

NRC Committee on Evaluation of USAID Democracy Assistance Programs ’8

Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research, http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12164.html, pp. 220-221 [ACG]

Providing Leadership and Strategic Vision Obtaining more impact

AND

may cause harm or may simply be ineffective.

Democracy assistance can be effective if it’s not overbearing. Evaluation and long-term planning are essential.

Lincoln A. Mitchell, International Politics Prof, Columbia, and David L. Phillips, Project Director, NCAFP (National Committee on American Foreign Policy), ’8

Enhancing Democracy Assistance: A Research Project of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy AND Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University AND The Atlantic Council of the United States, Jan., http://www.acus.org/publication/enhancing-democracy-assistance, p. 3 [WPT UPD]

Today's global setting poses several distinct challenges to

AND

staff, and emphasizing more rigorous project evaluation.

The plan’s a key part of a coherent step-by-step approach.

Michael Singh, Managing Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 8-16-11

“The U.S. needs to speak clearly on Syria,” Foreign Policy, http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/08/16/the_us_needs_to_speak_clearly_on_syria

Affecting the outcome in Syria will require a

AND

in the Arab world broadly  is unmistakable.

Only the U.S. can assist the Syrian transition – the plan will build leverage over time.

Michael Young, Opinion Page Editor, Lebanon Daily Star, 5-19-11

 “An Obama road map to change in Syria.” Lebanon Daily Star, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/mobile/Article.aspx?id=139016.

We’ve heard Obama administration officials declare lately that

AND

only the United States can take such measures.

The plan will demonstrate the value of evaluations and help determine which projects to use in which conditions.

NRC Committee on Evaluation of USAID Democracy Assistance Programs ’8

Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research, http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12164.html, pp. 216-217 [ACG]

Conclusions The potential changes to current USAID policy

AND

which conditions, to best assist democratic progress.

Inherency.

The U.S. has supported Syrian opposition groups for years.

Deutsche Welle 4-20-11

“US funding of opposition complicates Obama's Damascus policy,”

The cables produced by WikiLeaks showed that while

AND

more supportive of Assad than of the opposition."

Assistance is provided by the State Department for Syria.

David B. Gootnick, Director, International Affairs and Trade, GAO, ’9

“Democracy Assistance: U.S. Agencies Take Steps to Coordinate International Programs but Lack Information on Some U.S. Funded Activities,” GAO-09-993, Sep. 28, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09993.pdf, pp. 46-49

Table 6 shows the USAID, State DRL

AND

, the number of countries increases to 97.

Recently, the U.S. reaffirmed its pledge to support the Syrian opposition.

David Ignatius - Washington Post Writers Group – 7-21-11

“U.S. ponders strategy to support Syria,” http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/jul/21/us-ponders-strategy-support-syria/

As the Obama administration steps up its support

AND

“our goal is ... a democratic transformation.”

The U.S. claims the mantle of having provided consistent, sustained support to the Syrian opposition.

Michael H. Posner, Assistant Secretary of State, Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 7-27-11

“Axis of Abuse: U.S. Human Rights Policy toward Iran and Syria, Part 1,” House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and South Asia, Congressional Documents and Publications, Lexis

Our efforts to support the Iranian and Syrian

AND

the Committee again, and welcome your questions.

The U.S. has no real strategy. Sectarian civil war is likely.

Elliot Abrams, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, 8-2-11

“Preventing Civil War in Syria,” Wall Street Journal, http://www.cfr.org/syria/preventing-civil-war-syria/p25576

Syria remains rocked by antiregime protests that have

AND

, or even some form of military intervention.

State doesn’t conduct evaluations of its assistance.

David B. Gootnick, Director, International Affairs and Trade, GAO, ’10

“Democracy Assistance: U.S. Agencies Take Steps to Coordinate International Programs but Lack Information on Some U.S. Funded Activities,” GAO-09-993, , p. 37

⁵² According to State DRL officials, State

AND

of programs but does not evaluate every grant.

Credible evidence proves Assad will fall.

Anderson, Former Director, Middle East Policy, DoD, November '11

James H., Also: Director, Middle East Policy, DoD ('06-'09), International and Security Studies Prof, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Nov-Dec, "After the Fall: What’s Next for Assad and Syria?" World Affairs Journal, http://www.worldaffairsjournal.org/article/after-fall-what%E2%80%99s-next-assad-and-syria [WFU]

Getting a clear read on developments in Syria

AND

the Gulf Cooperation Council have criticized Assad’s behavior.

Continued inaction in Syria will provoke full-scale military intervention.

Elliot Abrams, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, 8-2-11

“Preventing Civil War in Syria,” Wall Street Journal, http://www.cfr.org/syria/preventing-civil-war-syria/p25576

There appears to be no U.S

AND

, or even some form of military intervention.

The U.S. will increase assistance after Assad falls.

POMED, Citing Stephen McInerney, POMED Executive Director, 10-13-11

“POMED Notes: Strengthening Arab Democracy: U.S. Assistance after the Uprisings,” [WPT UPD]

Meanwhile, Syria presents a different case for

AND

to providing U.S. democracy assistance.”

1AC – ADV

Advantage - Syria

Current U.S. democracy assistance priorities in Syria are skewed—marginalizing the opposition

IPT (Investigative Project on Terrorism), Citing Farid Ghadry, President, Reform Party of Syria (RPS), 6-6-11

“Ghadry: Assad Will Fall, But the Brotherhood May Follow,” Delivered by Newstex, Lexis

As he looks towards the future, Ghadry

AND

future, then the region is in trouble.”

Syrian opposition is split—but there’s no precise information

Hossein Ruyvaran, Middle East Affairs Expert, 8-13-11

Chair, Political Commission, Society for the Defense of the Nation of Palestine, “Iranian expert says dialogue ‘only’ solution to Syrian crisis,” Jaam-e Jam [BBC-LEXIS]

Q: If we note the extent of

AND

opponents are youth whose leanings are not known.

A divide-and-conquer strategy will produce sectarian conflicts throughout the region.

Vali Nasr, International Politics Prof, Tufts, 8-27-11

“If the Arab Spring Turns Ugly,” New York Times Opinion Section,

The Arab Spring is a hopeful chapter in

AND

Saudi Arabia, are already jousting for power.

Syria is the lynchpin to the broader conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Protracted conflict would trigger a broader Sunni-Shiite clash.

Vali Nasr, International Politics Prof, Tufts, 8-27-11

“If the Arab Spring Turns Ugly,” New York Times Opinion Section,

In March, fearing a snowball effect from

AND

Syria and Iraq, it is already happening.

Syrian war escalates globally

Peter Apps, Political Risk Correspondent, Reuters, “Analysis: Syrian civil war drags in Mideast, global powers,” 11-30, 2011, http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/30/us-syria-powers-idUSTRE7AT25320111130

As Syria's uprising escalates into outright civil war

AND

in the Gulf, as well as elsewhere."

Largest threat to one-fourth of the world

Shibil Sidiqqi, Fellow, Centre for the Study of Global Power and Politics, 4-15-10

“Terrorism: The nuclear summit's 'straw man',”

However, the president's assessment of global nuclear

AND

that clearly remains the largest global nuclear threat.

Saudi Arabia will host Pakistani nuclear weapons in response to sectarian violence and deteriorating relations with the U.S.

Guzansky, Institute for National Security Studies, ’11 [Gender Modified]

Yoel, 7-1, “Tehran tests Saudis’ nerve on nuclear weapons,” The Australian,

Until recently it appeared that US security guarantees

AND

exempt from intrusive International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring.

South-Asian nuclear instability would result.

Roberts, History Prof, Cambridge, ’11

Andrew, Also: Royal Society of Literature Fellow, Jan. 2, “Iran’s Nuclear Domino Effect,” THE DAILY BEAST, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/01/02/irans-nuclear-weapons-could-lead-to-a-saudi-and-pakistan-alliance.html [WFU]

Where Edelman goes an important stage further than

AND

nuclear situation in South Asia significantly more dangerous.

That ends the world

Alan Robock is professor of climatology at Rutgers University and associate director of the school's Center for Environmental Prediction, where he studies many aspects of climate change. He is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society and a participant in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and Owen Brian Toon is chair of the department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder and a fellow of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics there. He is a fellow of the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union. “South Asian Threat? Local Nuclear War = Global Suffering”, from the January 2010 issue of Scientific American magazine

People have several incorrect impressions about nuclear winter

AND

enough smoke to create a global environmental disaster.

Replacing naïveté with perspective facilitates understanding and enables redirection of funds.

IPT (Investigative Project on Terrorism), Citing Farid Ghadry, President, Reform Party of Syria (RPS), 6-6-11

“Ghadry: Assad Will Fall, But the Brotherhood May Follow,” Delivered by Newstex, Lexis

As he looks towards the future, Ghadry

AND

we should all unite to defend ourselves against.”

Assisting pro-democratic forces solves mis-prioritized aid and prevents a repeat of the Iranian Revolution in Syria.

IPT (Investigative Project on Terrorism), Citing Farid Ghadry, President, Reform Party of Syria, (RPS), 6-6-11

“Ghadry: Assad Will Fall, But the Brotherhood May Follow,” Delivered by Newstex, Lexis

Ghadry urges the Obama Administration to take action

AND

United States and the Western, democratic world.

1AC – Plan

Plan: The United States Department of State should commission participatory evaluations of so-called democracy assistance programs for Syria that the Department of State implements.

1AC – Solvency

The plan is democracy assistance because the method of evaluation is democratic.

Peter Burnell, Politics and International Studies Prof

AND

and would-be beneficiaries in the field.

The plan is democracy assistance because it exemplifies democratic values.

Thomas Carothers, Topic Guru, ’93

Founder & Director, Democracy and Rule of Law Program, Carnegie Endowment, Foreign operations, export financing, and related programs appropriations for fiscal year 1994: hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, Mar. 2, http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/export-financing-united-states-congress-senate-committee-on-appr/foreign-operations-export-financing-and-related-programs-appropriations-for-fi-tin/page-15-foreign-operations-export-financing-and-related-programs-appropriations-for-fi-tin.shtml

TYPES OF DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE I have spoken much

AND

of persons to and from the United States.

Evaluation itself is technical capacity building in democratic governance.

Peter Burnell, Politics and International Studies Prof, Warwick, ’8.

 “From Evaluating Democracy Assistance to Appraising Democracy Promotion,” Political Studies 56 (2) (June 1): 414-434. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9248.2007.00653.x

One view is that the purpose of assessing

AND

participant appraisal of strategies begins to look unassailable.

Evaluation comes from democracy assistance budget and is substantial.

Burnell, Previously Qualified, ’7

Evaluating Democracy Support: Methods and Experiences, pp. 38-39

All these and similar questions go well beyond

AND

organization and prevent it from pursuing its goals.

Burnell uses support and assistance synonymously.

Peter Burnell, Politics and International Studies

AND

democracy assistance and support for democracy-building.

State can effectively compile information from multiple sources – Religious Freedom Reports prove.

Brian J. Grim, Senior Researcher, Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life, et al., ’6

“Measuring International Socio-Religious Values and Conflict by Coding US State Department Reports,” JSM Proceedings, AAPOR-Section on Survey Research Methods, American Association of Public Opinion Researchers (AAPOR) annual conference, https://www.amstat.org/sections/srms/Proceedings/y2006/Files/JSM2006-000040.pdf, p. 4125

4. Conclusions Cross-national data on

AND

data, such questions can be empirically explored.

A commitment to evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs would enable more effective programming of future democracy assistance funds. Senior commitment to evaluation will inculcate a culture of effectiveness.

NRC Committee on Evaluation of USAID Democracy Assistance Programs ’8

Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research, http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12164.html, pp. 220-221 [ACG]

Providing Leadership and Strategic Vision Obtaining more impact

AND

may cause harm or may simply be ineffective.

Democracy assistance can be effective if it’s not overbearing. Evaluation and long-term planning are essential.

Lincoln A. Mitchell, International Politics Prof, Columbia, and David L. Phillips, Project Director, NCAFP (National Committee on American Foreign Policy), ’8

Enhancing Democracy Assistance: A Research Project of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy AND Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University AND The Atlantic Council of the United States, Jan., , p. 3 [WPT UPD]

Today's global setting poses several distinct challenges to

AND

staff, and emphasizing more rigorous project evaluation.

The plan’s a key part of a coherent step-by-step approach.

Michael Singh, Managing Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 8-16-11

“The U.S. needs to speak clearly on Syria,” Foreign Policy, http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/08/16/the_us_needs_to_speak_clearly_on_syria

Affecting the outcome in Syria will require a

AND

in the Arab world broadly -- is unmistakable.

Only the U.S. can assist the Syrian transition – the plan will build leverage over time.

Michael Young, Opinion Page Editor, Lebanon Daily Star, 5-19-11

 “An Obama road map to change in Syria.” Lebanon Daily Star, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/mobile/Article.aspx?id=139016.

We’ve heard Obama administration officials declare lately that

AND

only the United States can take such measures.

The plan will demonstrate the value of evaluations and help determine which projects to use in which conditions.

NRC Committee on Evaluation of USAID Democracy Assistance Programs ’8

Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research, , pp. 216-217 [ACG]

Conclusions The potential changes to current USAID policy

AND

which conditions, to best assist democratic progress.

Inherency: The U.S. has supported the Syrian opposition and applied pressure to Assad.

A. Current support for the opposition.

There’s ongoing support.

Toner, Spokesman, State Department, ’11

Mark, Apr. 18: “Daily Press Briefing,” Middle East Digest, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/mideastdigest/janapr/161155.htm [ACG UTA 7]

QUESTION: Is the United States funding opposition

AND

vital to a possible democratic future in Syria.

Assad perceives this as a threat.

Toner, Again

Mark, 4-18-11: “Daily Press Briefing,” Middle East Digest, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/mideastdigest/janapr/161155.htm [ACG UTA 7]

QUESTION: Is the United States Government,

AND

threat to its control over the Syrian people.

Years of covert support.

Deutsche Welle 4-20-11

“US funding of opposition complicates Obama's Damascus policy,” http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,14996885,00.html

The cables produced by WikiLeaks showed that while

AND

more supportive of Assad than of the opposition."

Economic sanctions.

RTT News 2-6

“US to Tighten Syria Sanctions.” Global Financial Newswires, February 6, 2012. http://www.rttnews.com/1813218/us-to-tighten-syria-sanctions.aspx?type=usp&pageNum=1 [LVC UTA]

The United States has said that it will

AND

humanitarian relief we are able to do so."

Recent UN resolution increased pressure on Assad and support for the opposition.

AFP, citing Clinton, Secretary of State, 2-17-12

“Clinton welcomes 'overwhelming' consensus on Syria,” Agence France Presse, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jQMTSNJCUkagiXVPDtb_O2n5BEUQ?docId=CNG.4a4d727e25cca96e6035c2b7cee70153.1f1

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday

AND

to provide relief to the people of Syria."

 “Friends of Syria” announcements, including $10 million of new U.S. aid

CBS News 2-24 "Obama on Syria: U.S. can't be a bystander,” http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57384992-503544/obama-on-syria-u.s-cant-be-a-bystander/

Between Clinton and Mr. Obama's remarks,

AND

fire to ensure the aid reaches the afflicted.

Military drones.

MSNBC 2-17-12

Jim Miklaszewski: “Officials: US drones monitoring clashes in Syria,” http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/17/10435915-officials-us-drones-monitoring-clashes-in-syria [D8T]

"A good number" of unmanned U

AND

. defense officials tell NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski.

Planned military strikes.

Press TV 12-29-11

http://presstv.com/detail/218384.html

The United States has instructed the National Security

AND

and military command-and-control systems.

Senate Resolution

A. It supports the opposition.

ABC News 2-10-12

Sunlen Miller: “Senators Introduce Syrian Resolution to Aid, Not Arm, Opposition,” http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/senators-introduce-syrian-resolution-to-aid-not-arm-opposition/ [ACG D8T]

Amid the violence in Syria, Sens.

AND

and technical support,” to the Syrian opposition.

B. It passed.

AP 2-17-12

“Senate passes resolution condemning Syrian government’s violence against its people,” Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/senate-passes-resolution-condemning-syrian-governments-violence-against-its-people/2012/02/17/gIQAiHiEKR_story.html [ACG D8T]

The Senate has approved a resolution condemning the

AND

many months away in a likely civil war.

Congress has appropriated funds for democracy assistance in Syria.

Bockenfeld, Director of Advocacy, POMED, ’11

Cole, Project on Middle Eastern Democracy, Oct. 21: “Summary and Highlights of the FY12 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bills,” The POMED Wire, http://pomed.org/blog/2011/10/summary-and-highlights-of-the-fy12-state-and-foreign-operations-appropriations-bills.html/ [UTA TRN]

The Senate bill includes “funds appropriated by

AND

the human rights violations of the Assad regime.”

State doesn’t conduct evaluations of its assistance.

David B. Gootnick, Director, International Affairs and Trade, GAO, ’10

“Democracy Assistance: U.S. Agencies Take Steps to Coordinate International Programs but Lack Information on Some U.S. Funded Activities,” GAO-09-993, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09993.pdf, p. 37

⁵² According to State DRL officials, State

AND

of programs but does not evaluate every grant.

The U.S. will directly assist the Syrian opposition.

Rogin, Foreign Policy, 12-28-11

Josh, Reports on national security and foreign policy for The Cable: “Obama administration secretly preparing options for aiding the Syrian opposition,” http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/12/28/obama_administration_secretly_preparing_options_for_aiding_the_syrian_opposition

As the violence in Syria spirals out of

AND

look at the possible ramifications, it's mindboggling."

Assistance is provided by the State Department for Syria.

David B. Gootnick, Director, International Affairs and Trade, GAO, ’9

“Democracy Assistance: U.S. Agencies Take Steps to Coordinate International Programs but Lack Information on Some U.S. Funded Activities,” GAO-09-993, Sep. 28, http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09993.pdf, pp. 46-49

Table 6 shows the USAID, State DRL

AND

, the number of countries increases to 97.

Current approach will push Syria into civil war.

Jordan Times 2-9-12

“Watershed in Campaign against Damascus,” MENAFN - Jordan Times, http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093481710 [ACG D8T]

The most important tool in the struggle is

AND

conflict and even all-out civil war.

Assad will fall— it’s just a question of when

Melham 2-7

Martin, Washington bureau chief of Al-Arabiya, the Dubai-based satellite channel and correspondent for Annahar, the leading Lebanese daily. “Syrian President Going Down Amid Uproar?” National Public Radio, (NPR) February 7, 2012. http://www.npr.org/2012/02/07/146522477/syrian-president-going-down-amid-uproar [LVC UTA]

MARTIN: We're talking about developments across the

AND

the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Even Russian support for Assad is wavering.

BBC, Citing Kosachev, Deputy Head, Foreign Affairs Committee, Duma, 1-30-12

Richard Galpin: “Russian arms shipments bolster Syria's embattled Assad,” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16797818 [D8T]

But since October the situation inside Syria has

AND

so we are not happy with Mr Assad."

Escalating conflict will draw US military intervention

Rabil, Poli Sci Prof, Florida Atlantic, 1-5-12

Robert G.: “Why U.S. must step carefully in Syria,” CNN, http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/03/opinion/rabil-syria/index.html [LVC CSU]

The popular uprising in Syria against the Alawi

AND

this could change as conditions in Syria deteriorate.

1AC – ADV

Advantage - Syria

Internal divisions complicate U.S. support for the opposition.

Bloomberg 1-31-12

Nicole Gaouette: “Syrian Opposition Council Backed by U.S. Hindered by Divisions,” Bloomberg, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-31/syrian-opposition-council-backed-by-u-s-hindered-by-divisions.html [LVC D8T]

Title: Syrian Opposition Council Backed by U

AND

in an interview. “It’s not promising.”

Assad’s violent divide-and-conquer strategy will produce sectarian wars throughout the Middle East that extend into South Asia. Syria is the linchpin of a broader Shiite-Sunni conflict, spearheaded by Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Nasr, International Politics Prof, Tufts, 8-27-11

Vali, Foreign Affairs Policy Advisory Board, State Department: “If the Arab Spring Turns Ugly,” New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/opinion/sunday/the-dangers-lurking-in-the-arab-spring.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

The Arab Spring is a hopeful chapter in

AND

Syria and Iraq, it is already happening.

Assad’s going “all-in” against the opposition.

White, Washington Institute, 2-14-11

Jeffrey, Defense Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy: “Bashar al-Assad vs. the Syrian People,” PolicyWatch #1900, http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=3451 [ACG D8T]

As mentioned above, the war has become

AND

, with potentially devastating effects on the population.

The longer Assad stays, the higher the chance for escalation and the lower the chance for resolution.

Alhomayed, Editor-in-Chief, Asharq Al-Awsat, 1-19-12

Tariq: “The cost of the fall of al-Assad,” Asharq Al-Awsat, http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=2&id=28152 [ACG D8T]

Hence, concerns over the potential costs of

AND

, or even the Europeans and the Americans.

Violence in Syria will spill over, escalating to international conflict.

Ø  ICG = independent = objective.

Wood, Award-Winning Journalist, 1-4-12

David, 40 years reporting for “U.S.-Iran Tensions: Mideast Showdown Builds As United States Tightens Military Ties To Israel,” Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/04/us-iran-tensions-israel-joint-military-exercises_n_1183952.html?ref=mostpopular [CST]

Storm clouds darkening over the Middle East suggest

AND

, she concluded, "an explosive mix."

Largest threat to one-fourth of the world

Shibil Sidiqqi, Fellow, Centre for the Study of Global Power and Politics, 4-15-10

“Terrorism: The nuclear summit's 'straw man',” http://98.130.246.96/archive_articles_details.asp?articleid=1055&typeid=3

However, the president's assessment of global nuclear

AND

that clearly remains the largest global nuclear threat.

1AC – Plan

Plan: United States Department of State should commission participatory evaluations of so-called democracy assistance programs for Syria that Department of State implements.

1AC – Solvency

The plan is democracy assistance because the method of evaluation is democratic.

Peter Burnell, Politics and International Studies Prof, Warwick, '7
Evaluating Democracy Support: Methods and Experiences, http://www.adb.org/evaluation/documents/EvaluatingDemocracySupport.pdf, pp. 17-18

One further and rather special reason

AND

and would-be beneficiaries in the field.

The plan is democracy assistance because it exemplifies democratic values.

Thomas Carothers, Topic Guru, ’93

Founder & Director, Democracy and Rule of Law Program, Carnegie Endowment, Foreign operations, export financing, and related programs appropriations for fiscal year 1994: hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, United States Senate, Mar. 2, http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/export-financing-united-states-congress-senate-committee-on-appr/foreign-operations-export-financing-and-related-programs-appropriations-for-fi-tin/page-15-foreign-operations-export-financing-and-related-programs-appropriations-for-fi-tin.shtml

TYPES OF DEMOCRACY ASSISTANCE I have spoken much

AND

of persons to and from the United States.

Evaluation itself is technical capacity building in democratic governance.

Peter Burnell, Politics and International Studies Prof, Warwick, ’8.

 “From Evaluating Democracy Assistance to Appraising Democracy Promotion,” Political Studies 56 (2) (June 1): 414-434. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9248.2007.00653.x

One view is that the purpose of assessing

AND

participant appraisal of strategies begins to look unassailable.

Evaluation comes from democracy assistance budget and is substantial.

Burnell, Previously Qualified, ’7

Evaluating Democracy Support: Methods and Experiences, pp. 38-39

All these and similar questions go well beyond

AND

organization and prevent it from pursuing its goals.

Burnell uses support and assistance synonymously.

Peter Burnell, Politics and International Studies Prof

AND

democracy assistance and support for democracy-building.

Evaluation prevents social fragmentation by building bridges of communication.

Kushner, Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, UNICEF, ’6

Saville, Officer for Latin America & the Carribbean: “Democracy and Evaluation,” in New Trends in Development Evaluation (Segone, ed.), Evaluation Working Papers #5, UNICEF Regional Office for CEE/CIS and IPEN, http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/New_trends_Dev_EValuation.pdf, p. 36 [ACG CSU]

One of the reasons for seeking such inclusive

AND

social action, can build bridges of communication.

The process promotes mutual understanding and generates social capital.

Kushner, Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, UNICEF, ’6

Saville, Officer for Latin America & the Carribbean: “Democracy and Evaluation,” in New Trends in Development Evaluation (Segone, ed.), Evaluation Working Papers #5, UNICEF Regional Office for CEE/CIS and IPEN, http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/New_trends_Dev_EValuation.pdf, p. 36 [ACG CSU]

Most recently, concerns like this have embraced

AND

should not displace the concerns of other stakeholders.

Trust and social capital reduce sectarian conflict more than any amount of conventional aid.

Burnell, Democracy Assistance Guru, December

Peter, Politics & International Studies Prof, Warwick, 2011: Lessons of Experience in International Democracy Support: Implications for Supporting Democratic Change in North Africa, UNU-Wider (United Nations University - World Institute for Development Economics Research) Working Paper #2011/84, http://www.wider.unu.edu/publications/working-papers/2011/en_GB/wp2011-084/_files/86687158764241318/default/wp2011-084.pdf, p. 6 [ACG CSU]

Democracy support both to civil society and the

AND

some loss of direct accountability to the donors.

State Department should re-evaluate assistance to Syrian opposition.

Abdel 4-19

Fattah Hussein, reporter in the Middle East for “All Voices,” “From Bush, EU funded Syrian opposition WikiLeaks.” http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/8832596-from-bush-eu-funded-syrian-opposition-wikileaks [LVC D8T]

The U.S. State Department funded

AND

inside and outside Syria," said the cable.

The time is ripe to engage opposition groups in evaluation.

Phillips, Heritage Foundation, 2-15-12

James, Senior Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Affairs, Heritage Foundation: “Next Steps for U.S. in Syria Crisis,” 2-15-12 http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/02/next-steps-for-us-in-syria-crisis

As Assad’s hold on the country slips,

AND

Committees that operate in an ad hoc manner.

Syrians on the ground aren’t represented by political parties. The plan facilitates meetings with them in Lebanon.

al-Khafaji, MENA Fellow, NIMD, ’10

Isam, NIMD = Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy, “Prospects for Political Parties Assistance Project in the Middle East and North Africa,” Nov. 12, http://www.nimd.org/documents/P/prospects_for_political_party_assistance_project_in_the_middle_east_and_north_africa.pdf [ACG D8T]

This welcome revival, however, is taking

AND

international organizations, such as the Carnegie Endowment.

State can effectively compile information from multiple sources – Religious Freedom Reports prove.

Brian J. Grim, Senior Researcher, Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life, et al., ’6

“Measuring International Socio-Religious Values and Conflict by Coding US State Department Reports,” JSM Proceedings, AAPOR-Section on Survey Research Methods, American Association of Public Opinion Researchers (AAPOR) annual conference, https://www.amstat.org/sections/srms/Proceedings/y2006/Files/JSM2006-000040.pdf, p. 4125

4. Conclusions Cross-national data on

AND

data, such questions can be empirically explored.

A commitment to evaluate the effectiveness of existing programs would enable more effective programming of future democracy assistance funds. Senior commitment to evaluation will inculcate a culture of effectiveness.

NRC Committee on Evaluation of USAID Democracy Assistance Programs ’8

Improving Democracy Assistance: Building Knowledge Through Evaluations and Research, http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12164.html, pp. 220-221 [ACG]

Providing Leadership and Strategic Vision Obtaining more impact

AND

may cause harm or may simply be ineffective.

Democracy assistance can be effective if it’s not overbearing. Evaluation and long-term planning are essential.

Lincoln A. Mitchell, International Politics Prof, Columbia, and David L. Phillips, Project Director, NCAFP (National Committee on American Foreign Policy), ’8

Enhancing Democracy Assistance: A Research Project of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy AND Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University AND The Atlantic Council of the United States, Jan., http://www.acus.org/publication/enhancing-democracy-assistance, p. 3 [WPT UPD]

Today's global setting poses several distinct challenges to

AND

staff, and emphasizing more rigorous project evaluation.

The plan’s a key part of a coherent step-by-step approach.

Michael Singh, Managing Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 8-16-11

“The U.S. needs to speak clearly on Syria,” Foreign Policy, http://shadow.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/08/16/the_us_needs_to_speak_clearly_on_syria

Affecting the outcome in Syria will require a

AND

in the Arab world broadly -- is unmistakable.

Only the U.S. can assist the Syrian transition – the plan will build leverage over time.

Michael Young, Opinion Page Editor, Lebanon Daily Star, 5-19-11

 “An Obama road map to change in Syria.” Lebanon Daily Star, http://www.dailystar.com.lb/mobile/Article.aspx?id=139016.

We’ve heard Obama administration officials declare lately that

AND

only the United States can take such measures.

Evaluation prevents social fragmentation by building bridges of communication.

Kushner, Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, UNICEF, ’6

Saville, Officer for Latin America & the Carribbean: “Democracy and Evaluation,” in New Trends in Development Evaluation (Segone, ed.), Evaluation Working Papers #5, UNICEF Regional Office for CEE/CIS and IPEN, http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/New_trends_Dev_EValuation.pdf, p. 36 [ACG CSU]

One of the reasons for seeking such inclusive

AND

social action, can build bridges of communication.

The process promotes mutual understanding and generates social capital.

Kushner, Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, UNICEF, ’6

Saville, Officer for Latin America & the Carribbean: “Democracy and Evaluation,” in New Trends in Development Evaluation (Segone, ed.), Evaluation Working Papers #5, UNICEF Regional Office for CEE/CIS and IPEN, http://www.unicef.org/ceecis/New_trends_Dev_EValuation.pdf, p. 36 [ACG CSU]

Most recently, concerns like this have embraced

AND

should not displace the concerns of other stakeholders.

Trust and social capital reduce sectarian conflict more than any amount of conventional aid.

Burnell, Democracy Assistance Guru, December

Peter, Politics & International Studies Prof, Warwick, 2011: Lessons of Experience in International Democracy Support: Implications for Supporting Democratic Change in North Africa, UNU-Wider (United Nations University - World Institute for Development Economics Research) Working Paper #2011/84, http://www.wider.unu.edu/publications/working-papers/2011/en_GB/wp2011-084/_files/86687158764241318/default/wp2011-084.pdf, p. 6 [ACG CSU]

Democracy support both to civil society and the

AND

some loss of direct accountability to the donors.

Neutrality affirms the imperial status quo. Support for Syrian revolutionary claims to humanity affirms emancipatory potential.

Smolenski, Magister of Arts, Philosophy, Warsaw, ’11

Jan, May 29, “Reanimating human rights,” Critical Legal Thinking, http://www.criticallegalthinking.com/?p=3405 [ACG CST]

There is also another problem with the r2p

AND

of a problem we are deeply involved in.

Normative commitment to democracy prevents re-appropriation to support war.

Piki Ish-Shalom, International Relations Prof, Hebrew U, ’9

“Theorizing Politics, Politicizing Theory, and the Responsibility That Runs Between,” Perspectives on Politics 7 (02-Jul): 303-316, doi:10.1017/S1537592709090811

Committing theorists morally and explicating the moral groundwork

AND

legitimize war—not commandeered in war’s service.

Learning from past mistakes is critical to new, informed perspectives.

Ken BOOTH International Politics, Aberystywth, ’5

Critical Security Studies and World Politics, pp. 272-276

If a critical theory of security is to

AND

states. The stakes could not be higher.