GT+Carty+Ganem


 * 1AC**


 * CUBA EMBARGO**


 * ADV's Transitions / Relations OAS add on**


 * Plan -**
 * The United States federal government should normalize its economic relations with Cuba. **

Cuban reforms are inevitable but the loss of external investment risks economic and social collapse – offering normal trade relations is vital

 * Ashby 13,** Senior Research Fellow at the Council on Hemispheric Affairs. He served in the U.S. Commerce Department's International Trade Administration as Director of the Office of Mexico and the Caribbean and acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for the Western Hemisphere(Timothy, "Preserving Stability in Cuba After Normalizing Relations with the United States – The Importance of Trading with State-Owned Enterprises" 3/29/13, Council on Hemispheric Affairs, http://www.coha.org/preserving-stability-in-cuba-timothy-ashby/)//AD//


 * Gorrell, 5 -** Lieutenant Colonel, US Army, paper submitted for the USAWC STRATEGY RESEARCH PROJECT (Tim, “CUBA: THE NEXT UNANTICIPATED ANTICIPATED STRATEGIC CRISIS?” [] **GWOT=Global War on Terrorism**

Bosco ‘6 - a senior editor at Foreign Policy magazine (David, July, “Forum: Keeping an eye peeled for World War III” []


 * Johnson, et al, 10** – Andy Johnson is a director in the national security program at The Third Way (“End the Embargo of Cuba”, The National Security Program, 9/6/10, []

**Greater focus and resources to counter-terrorism is vital – WMD terrorism risks are increasing**

 * Clark, 13 -** Bruce Clarke is a retired Army Colonel with extensive strategic, operational and tactical experience. He is widely published on a myriad of strategic and operational subjects. Immediately prior to his retirement from the Army, Colonel Clarke was the Director of US National Security Studies at the US Army War College(Bruce, The Examiner, “ The end to the war on terrorism--really?” 5/28, [])

**This risks extinction**
Ayson 10 - Professor of Strategic Studies and Director of the Centre for Strategic Studies: New Zealand at the Victoria University of Wellington

(Robert, “After a Terrorist Nuclear Attack: Envisaging Catalytic Effects,” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 33.7, InformaWorld)//BB


 * The unconditional offer of normal trade relations boosts US-Cuban relations and fosters a stable transition**


 * Koenig, 10** – US Army Colonel, paper submitted for a Masters in Strategic Studies at the US Army War College (Lance, “Time for a New Cuba Policy” [])

T

**The U.S. is trying to rebuild US-Latin American relations but the U.S. focus on Cuban regime change prevents genuine improvement**

 * CDA, 13** - Center for Democracy in the Americas (“News Flash? Has the Administration rediscovered Latin America?” 6/7, [])

**The plan sends a clear signal to improve Latin American relations and reinvigorate the OAS**

 * White, 13**-Senior fellow at the Center for International Policy and former U.S. ambassador to Paraguay and El Salvador (Robert, “After Chávez, a Chance to Rethink Relations With Cuba”, New York Times, 3/7/13, []

**Stronger regionalism is vital to effective democracy promotion**

 * Inter-American Dialogue 12 -** the Inter-American Dialogue is the leading US center for policy analysis, exchange, and communication on issues in Western Hemisphere affairs(“Remaking the Relationship The United States and Latin America”, April 2012, http://www.thedialogue.org/PublicationFiles/IAD2012PolicyReportFINAL.pdf)

**Latin American democracy key to global democracy**
Hillman, 2 – Ph.D., Professor and Director, Institute for the Study of Democracy and Human Rights, St. John Fisher College (Richard S., Democracy and Human Rights in Latin Americai, Preface, p. vii) //SP

**Democracy prevents extinction**

 * Diamond 95** - Hoover Institute Senior Fellow (Larry, “Promoting Democracy in the 1990s,” http://wwics.si.edu/subsites/ccpdc/pubs/di/fr.htm)


 * Current Cuba policy wrecks OAS credibility – regional coalitions overtake it**

Reuters 12 (Brian Ellsworth, “Despite Obama charm, Americas summit boosts U.S. isolation,” 4/16/12, http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/16/us-americas-summit-obama-idUSBRE83F0UD20120416)//SJF//

**Cyber-attack coming in the Western Hemisphere – OAS legitimacy is key to coordination**
Caribbean News Now 6/25 (“OAS launches cyber security crisis management exercise,” 6/25/13, http://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-OAS-launches-cyber-security-crisis-management-exercise-16500.html)//SJF

**Cyberattacks cause extinctio**n
Andreasen 6/14 – national security consultant to the Nuclear Threat Initiative and its Nuclear Security Project (Steve, “Cyberwar’s Threat Does Not Justify a New Policy of Nuclear Deterrence,” 6/14/13, http://www.nti.org/analysis/opinions/cyberwars-threat-does-not-justify-new-policy-nuclear-deterrence/)//SJF

**Embargo repeal strengthens the OAS and restores LA relations**

 * Lake, 10–** Professor of Social Sciences, distinguished professor of political science at UC San Diego (David A., “Making America Safe for the World: Multilateralism and the Rehabilitation of US authority”, [|__http://dss.ucsd.edu/~dlake/documents/LakeMakingAmericaSafe.pdf__])//NG