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A. Definition-Democracy assistance is the support provided to electoral laws, processes, and institutions
IFES, 11 – International Foundation for Electoral Systems, http://www.ifes.org/Content/Topics/Democracy-Assistance.aspx
Democracy assistance can be defined as the legal
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provided to electoral laws, processes and institutions.
B. Violation – The plan is not assistance for elections
C. Our interpretation is Superior
First, Limits – Elections directly tie assistance to the core democratic process of contestation – other targets of aid only indirectly improve democracy by changing the political environment – there are thousands of ways to “indirectly promote democracy” by improving governance or helping a civil society group
Thomas Carothers- sr. associate at Carnegie- June 2003, IS GRADUALISM POSSIBLE? Choosing a Strategy for Promoting Democracy in the Middle East,
INDIRECTLY PROMOTING DEMOCRACY
The second identifiable U.S. … U.S. policy more accurately.
INDIRECTLY PROMOTING DEMOCRACY
The second identifiable U.S. strategy
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them understand U.S. policy more accurately
Second, Topic focus - Including every aff tangentially related to democratic institutions scatters the topic in too many directions – Elections should be the focal point to ground education about “democracy”
Erik Olin Wright and Joel Rogers –profs, sociology and law, U Wisconsin - July 2009, American Society: How It Really Works,
Elections are at the very … electoral system and how it works.
Elections are at the very core of democracy
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of its electoral system and how it works.
D. Topicality is a voting issue-Fairness to the Negative
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The US-Saudi alliance will be safe now but the plan fuels Saudi threat perceptions undermining relations
Ottaway 11 (Marina, sr associate Mideast program Carnegie Endowment, “Bahrain: Between the United States and Saudi Arabia”, 4/4)
Attempts to solve the current crisis in Bahrain
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with Saudi Arabia should take precedence right now.
The plan is enough to undermine Saudis trust in the reliability of the alliance collapsing hegemony and dollar primacy while creating mid-east instability
Bremmer 11 (Ian, president Eurasia Group, “Washington’s stark choice: Democracy or Riyadh”, 3/17)
Events of the past three months have shattered
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for the dollar as the primary reserve currency.
Hegemony prevents global nuclear conflict
Kagan 07, Robert: Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
[“End of Dreams, Return of History
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/policyreview/8552512.html#n10]
Finally, there is the United States itself
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and global involvement will provide an easier path.
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Jobs will get through
Rowley 10/8 (James, writer, Bloomberg, “Republicans Will Pay Price for Opposing Tax Cuts in Jobs Plan, Durbin Says”)
Republicans will “pay a price” if
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get the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster.
But Obama needs all of his political capital
Inquirer 9/8/11 (Philadelphia Inquirer, “The president's jobs speech; Some steps could help, but don't expect miracles”)
President Obama goes into Thursday's big speech on
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the payroll tax cut and continuing unemployment insurance.
Even small assistance packages require Obama to spend substantial political capital
Katulis-Center for American Progress-5/20/11
What Now, Mr. President?Obama’s Middle East Speech Now Requires Follow Through
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2011/05/what_now.html
The Obama administration needs to make the .... American public in this current political context.
Jobs bill gets us on track for positive growth
Zandi 9/9 (Mark, chief economist moody’s analytics, “An Analysis of the Obama Jobs Plan”)
–The president’s plan would provide a meaningful
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from more aid to state and local governments.
And the economy is collapsing; restoring the US economy prevents extinction
Party 9/1 (Socialist Equality Party, conference, “The breakdown of capitalism and the tasks of the working class”)
9. The working class must base itself
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states would spell the end of human civilisation.
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TEXT: The United States federal government should condition joint training exercises with Bahrain on Bahrain releasing jailed opposition leaders and instituting an inclusive dialogue with opposition groups. The United States should inform Bahrain that if Bahrain refuses this condition the United States will relocate the Fifth Fleet.
Solves the aff and creates real reform
Hitlermann 9/8 (Joost R., dep program director middle east and north Africa intl crisis group, “Obama's Bahrain backpedalling”, 2011)
How Washington should now proceed is an open
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, and the opposition to show the way.
Case
Piracy
US assistance solves regional piracy
Katzman 10 (Kenneth, specialist Mideast affairs, 4/26, crs report for congress, “Bahrain: Reform, Security, and U.S. Policy”)
The State Department’s report on international terrorism for
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provide training to its counter-terrorism institutions.
Economic decline won’t cause war
DEUDNEY 91 Hewlett Fellow in Science, Technology, and Society at the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies, Princeton
[Daniel, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, april]
Poverty Wars. In a second scenario,
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skills, specialized industrial products and surplus wealth.
AND – if they do occur they are unlikely to escalate
BENNETT & NORDSTROM 02 Department of Political Science Professors at Penn State
[D. Scott and Timonthy, “Foreign Policy Substitutability and Internal Economic Problems in Enduring Rivalries,” Journal of Conflict Resolution, February. P. 33-61]
When engaging in diversionary actions in response to
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conflict initiation against target states experiencing economic problems.
Hegemony
No 5th Fleet Impact:
A. No withdrawal—Washington committed and aff biased
Toumi ‘11, Bureau chief, 7
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]
The US Navy has denied media reports it
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into a modern Naval Support Activity (NSA).
Plan can’t overcome Arab perceptions of the US
Khazen 8/25/11 (Jihad El, writer, Al Arabiya News, “Jihad al-Khazen: The Arab spring has stumbled”)
True, the Obama administration has engaged the
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is primarily because it supports this racist state.
America is still number one- no risk of any of their internal links into collapse
Naím 8/9 (Moisés Naím, Internationally renowned columnist and commentator on globalization, international
politics and economics whose columns are published every
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, August 9, 2011, LEQ)
The downgrade crisis, and the financial mess
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most powerful country in the world? Yes.
Our evidence is comparative- even with all problems facing us America is still number one- their evidence is purely political fatalism
O’Hanlon 8/11 (Michael O'Hanlon,
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, August 11, 2011, LEQ)
Yes, the United States has problems.
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meantime let's not lose sight of what's right.
Iran
No Iran Impact:
A. Can’t be aggressive in Bahrain – multiple obstacles.
Savyon 11. [A, director –
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0/0/5424.htm#_ednref6
Despite its image as a looming superpower,
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tiger that will refrain from any violent conflict.
When it came to the crunch, it
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left the Iranian regime in clearly reduced circumstances.
B. Iran isn’t a threat
Luttwak 7. [Edward, senior associate
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“The middle of nowhere,” Prospect Magazine]
Now the Mussolini syndrome is at work over
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much cohesion under attack is to be expected.
Multiple barriers to Iran heg
Savyon 11. [A, director – Iranian Media Project @ Middle East Media Research Institute, 7/4/’11 “Iran's Defeat in the Bahrain Crisis: A Seminal Event in the Sunni-Shi'ite Conflict,” http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5424.htm#_ednref6
Despite its image as a looming superpower,
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left the Iranian regime in clearly reduced circumstances.
