1AC
Plan
The United States federal government should provide political party support in accordance with the European Union’s Tunisia neighborhood action plan.
The US-EU partnership is competitive --- makes cooperation useless and undermines EU credibility.
Hamilton & Burwell 10 [Daniel S, Executive Director of the Center for Transatlantic Relations; Executive Director of the American Consortium on EU Studies; Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Research Professor at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins, and Frances, Vice President, Director of the Program on Transatlantic Relations at the Atlantic Council, former executive director of the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, The Setting: The United States and Europe in a G20 World, Chapter 1, ]
The United States is the most important … and instruments to deal with the myriad challenges they face?
Synergized US-EU action on Middle Eastern democracy strengthens the overall relationship.
Youngs 4 [Richard, Coordinator of the Democratization programme at FRIDE. He is also an associate professor at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. Prior to joining FRIDE, he was E.U. Marie Curie Research Fellow from 2001 to 2004. He studied at Cambridge (BA Honors) and Warwick (MA, PhD) universities, and previously worked as Analyst at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United Kingdom. Young has authored four books and edited seven volumes on different aspects of European foreign policy, Transatlantic Cooperation on Middle East Reform: A European Misjudgment?, October, ion_on_middle_east_reform_a_european_misjudgement/]
Better Alone or Together? Europeans risk becoming … to democracy promotion.
Cooperation over democracy assistance is crucial to amending the alliance
Melia, 9— in the , at the . Melia's portfolio includes Europe, South and Central Asia, and international labor rights. (Thomas, “Supporting Democracy Abroad: Transatlantic Cooperation at a Crossroads,” November 19th, 2009, http://transatlantic.sais-jhu.edu/transatlantic-topics/Articles/eu-us/forging-eu-us-partnership/us-eu_book_democracy_thomas_melia.pdf)
The United States and the European … strengthen democracy in the world?
The plan provides a foundation for future cooperation through improved coordination.
Wittes 9 [Tamara – Senior Fellow in the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings and directs the Center’s Project on Middle East De- mocracy and Development. Her most recent book is Freedom’s Unsteady March: America’s Role in Building Arab Democracy. Previously, she served as Middle East Specialist at the U.S. Institute of Peace and Director of Programs at the Middle East Institute. Her work has addressed a wide range of topics, including the Israeli- Palestinian peace negotiations, Arab politics, and eth- nic conflict. She edited How Israelis and Palestinians Negotiate: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of the Oslo Peace Process. She is also an adjunct professor of security studies at Georgetown University and a member of Women in International Security and the Council on Foreign Relations, Richard Youngs – Coordinator of the Democrati- sation programme at FRIDE. He is also an associate professor at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. Prior to joining FRIDE, he was E.U. Marie Curie Research Fellow from 2001 to 2004. He stud- ied at Cambridge (BA Hons) and Warwick (MA, PhD) universities, and previously worked as Analyst at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, United Kingdom. Young has authored four books and edited seven vol- umes on different aspects of European foreign policy, Europe, the United States, and Middle Eastern Democracy: Repairing the Breach, The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, January, Number 18, /papers/2009/01_middle_eastern_democracy_wittes/01_middle_eastern_democracy_wittes.pdf]
Executive Summary … which transatlantic cooperation in the Middle East can, cautiously, be rebuilt.
Absent improved coordination Europe becomes a counterweight – makes all problems inevitable.
Stivachtis 10 [Yannis. A., Director of International Studies Program @ Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Professor of Poli Sci @ Virginia Polytechnic Institute & Ph.D. in Politics & International Relations from Lancaster University, The Imperative for Transatlantic Cooperation, The Research Institute for European and American Studies, http://www.rieas.gr/research-areas/global-issues/transatlantic-studies/78.html]
There is no doubt that … see eye to eye on more issues than one would expect from reading newspapers and magazines.
Coordination solves Ukrainian stability and structural weakness.
Stivachtis 10 [Yannis. A., Director of International Studies Program @ Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Professor of Poli Sci @ Virginia Polytechnic Institute & Ph.D. in Politics & International Relations from Lancaster University, The Imperative for Transatlantic Cooperation, The Research Institute for European and American Studies, http://www.rieas.gr/research-areas/global-issues/transatlantic-studies/78.html]
But while elites on … key steps must be taken to make this potential a reality.
The impact is Ukraine conflict, European wars, Chechen conflict, and regional instability.
Karatnycky 9 [Adrian – Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council of the United States and Managing Partner of the Myrmidon Group LLC, Alexander J. Motyl – Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey, The Key to Kiev Ukraine’s Security Means Europe’s Stability, http://www.ukrainianstudies.org/aaus-list/0904/pdf00001.pdf]
On January 7, 2009, after an … and the more pragmatic- sounding Medvedev.
It would result in a Russian first strike.
Pry 99 [Vincent, President of EMPACT America, Served on the Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States established by the U.S. Congress (2008-2009); as Director of the United States Nuclear Strategy Forum, an advisory body to Congress on policies to counter Weapons of Mass Destruction (2005-2009); on the Commission to Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack (also commonly known as the EMP Commission), established by the U.S. Congress (2001-2008); as Professional Staff on the House Armed Services Committee of the U.S. Congress, with portfolios in nuclear strategy, WMD, Russia, China, NATO, the Middle East, intelligence, and terrorism (1995-2001); as an Intelligence Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency responsible for analyzing Soviet and Russian nuclear strategy and operational plans (1985-1995), where he was formally recognized by the agency for his expertise, groundbreaking research, and his outstanding accomplishments during his 10 years of service; and as a Verification Analyst at the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency responsible for assessing Soviet compliance with nuclear and strategic forces arms control treaties (1984-1985), War Scare, pg. 277]
Russo-Ukrainian tensions are … a war in which the United States, in reality, has no vital interest or real intention of participating.
That coordination is key to solve regional instability
Perthes 4 [Head of the Middle East and Africa Research Group at Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Berlin, America’s “Greater Middle East” and Europe: Key Issues for Dialogue, ]
The Arab-Israeli conflict and … Iran and the chances of a pluralistic system emerging from within.
Middle East instability causes nuclear war.
Ferguson 7 [Niall, British historian who specializes in financial and economic history, Should we Simply Ignore the Mideast, June 2007, http://www.kurdnas.com/en/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=53)]
As I said, there's no shortage of … a recipe for Armageddon.
Advantage 2 is credibility
Credibility in the Middle East is low now due to a lack of a coherent Tunisia policy.
Robison 11 (Gordon, Teaches Middle East Politics at the University of Vermont, Taught Islamic history at Emerson College, Will Obama walk the talk in Tunisia?, Special Column @ Gulf News, January 26th, http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/will-obama-walk-the-talk-in-tunisia-1.752012)
America's political and media elite … the Middle East, and for the cause of freedom — one most Americans like to believe their country represents. The further removed that decision is from the media's glare and partisan grandstanding, the better the chances are that Obama, and America, will do the right thing.
Despite successful elections, serious governmental support is necessary to prevent polarization of the Tunisian people
Churchill, 11—an independent development consultant based in Tunisia. His blog, "A 21st Century Social Contract," offers a perspective on life in Tunis since the fall of President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali (Erik, “Putting Tunisian Democracy to the Test,” October 17th, 2011, )
This Sunday, Tunisians will finally go the polls … from the Ben Ali regime.
Additionally, the EU task force through the neighborhood policy is key to ensure long term political reform in Tunisia
Dennison et al, 11—member of the European Council on Foreign Relations, which is the first pan-European think-tank. Launched in October 2007, its objective is to conduct research and promote informed debate across Europe on the development of coherent, effective and values-based European foreign policy (Susi, “After the Revolution: Europe and the Transition in Tunisia,” European Council on Foreign Relations, March 2011, ecfr.eu)
Supporting the development of a more … region this time.
Three internal links—
A) the US must work to cooperate with the EU to reframe perceptions of democracy
Katulis, 9 – a Senior Fellow at American Progress, where his work focuses on U.S. national security policy in the Middle East and South Asia (Brian, “Democracy Promotion in the Middle east and the Obama Administration,” The Century Foundation, http://tcf.org/publications/pdfs/pb681/Katulis.pdf)
In addition to taking these steps to restore … in the Middle East.
B) Recognition of the Islamic government is key to reverse perceptions of the US
, 11—served as a senior advisor to the Carter White House; taught at Columbia University, Harvard, University of California at Berkeley and is a professor at The George Washington University (Amitai, “Tunisia: The First Arab Islamocracy,” October 26th, 2011, http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/tunisia-the-first-arab-islamocracy-6084)
Tunisia, significantly the first Arab Spring … of values we hold dear.
C) US backing of Tunisia specifically is essential to precipitate democracy. An emphasis on the economy will hinder political change
Innocent, 11 – a foreign policy analyst at the Cato Institute and blogs for The Skeptics at The National Interest (Malou, “Populist Discontent in Tunisia,” January 18th, 2011, http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-skeptics/populist-discontent-tunisia-omen-other-us-backed-regimes-the-4739)
Washington can take sides, although … from bad to worse.
Two impacts—
A) Democracy—The plan creates a beacon for democracy in the Arab world.
Khalilzad 11 (Zalmay, Member of the board of the National Endowment for Democracy, Former US Ambassador to Iraq, Afghanistan and the United Nations under President George W. Bush, Democracy in Tunisia is just the start, January 19th, http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/552d3632-2405-11e0-bef0-00144feab49a.html#axzz1YWMpxvTt)
Whether or not Tunisia’s revolution leads to … and reformers throughout the region are taking note of events in Tunisia. The US and Europe must act quickly.
Democracy solves conflict – multiple ways
LAPPIN 09 PhD candidate at the Centre for Peace Research and Strategic Studies at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Luc Reychler
Richard Lappin, What Democracy? Exploring the Absent Centre of Post-Conflict Democracy Assistance, Journal of Peace, Conflict and Development, Issue 14, July 2009,
Security
The relationship between democracy … communal rebellion‖ 25 .
b) Transitions— relative power is declining and regaining legitimacy is the only way to ensure that the United States seamlessly enters a post-american world with leverage and power to ensure the stability of the system
Zakaria, 11 – Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University, & editor of Foreign Affairs magazine & Newsweek Internationa & professor of IR and political philosophy at Harvard and Columbia University (Fareed, “Post American World 2.0,” Published in 2011)
6. Legitimacy is power. The … its immense power tolerable to the world for so long.
Credibility in the world is key to ensure that the EU doesn’t abandon the US as an ally and that the American public doesn’t become isolationist
Kagan, 4 – Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. This essay is adapted from the afterword of the paperback edition of Of Paradise and Power (Robert, “American Crisis of Legitimacy,” Foreign Affairs, March/April 2004, Vol. 83, Issue 2, p. 65)
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING LEGITIMATE
AMERICANS MIGHT be tempted, … more potent than their attraction for the UN.
EU will become uncooperative and desperate. Hegemonic wars will ensue
Goldstein 07 - Professor of Global Politics and International Relations @ University of Pennsylvania [Avery Goldstein, “Power transitions, institutions, and China's rise in East Asia: Theoretical expectations and evidence,” Journal of Strategic Studies, Volume 30, Issue 4 & 5 August 2007, pages 639 – 682]
Two closely related, though distinct, … possible crossover.19 pg. 647-650
Power transition alone causes extinction
Nye 90 - Former assistant secretary of defense and president of Harvard's Kennedy school of government (Joseph, Bound To Lead: The Changing Nature Of American Power 1990, p. 16-17)
Some suggest that the current debate on … 50,000 nuclear weapons, history as we know it may end.
