Brad+and+Edward


 * Our affirmations of the** ** 2013-2014 **** policy debate resolution: **

The United States federal government should normalize its trade relations with Cuba.
 * Plan text:**


 * 1AC V1.1**


 * Agriculture:**

The collapse of global agriculture is inevitable – monocultures, pesticides, soil depletion, climate change, pollinators, peak oil and declining yields all mean a new ag model is key to sustainability

 * Peters, 10 –** LL.M. expected 2011, University of Arkansas School of Law, Graduate Program in Agricultural and Food Law; J.D. 2010, University of Oregon School of Law (Kathryn, “Creating a Sustainable Urban Agriculture Revolution” J. ENVTL. LAW AND LITIGATION [Vol. 25, 203, http://law.uoregon.edu/org/jell/docs/251/peters.pdf)

The U.S. agricultural system is becoming increasingly more concentrated, specialized, and industrialized And

Diverse, multidimensional agricultural systems will allow for the adaptation of crop and farming practices in response to rapidly changing climate conditions and will help to ensure food security.

Cuba’s model of urban agriculture is a sustainable alternative

 * Peters, 10 –** LL.M. expected 2011, University of Arkansas School of Law, Graduate Program in Agricultural and Food Law; J.D. 2010, University of Oregon School of Law (Kathryn, “Creating a Sustainable Urban Agriculture Revolution” J. ENVTL. LAW AND LITIGATION [Vol. 25, 203, http://law.uoregon.edu/org/jell/docs/251/peters.pdf)

While urban agriculture was a response to a dramatic crisis in Cuba’s history, through the development of a community-based system of cultivation on previously vacant lots employing organic farming techniques, Cuba has created a sustainable food production system

And

The growth of the urban gardens has created an increasing food supply and a new economy for many Cubans without negatively impacting the environment or society.

The plan jumpstarts US investment in Cuban organoponics – causing a widespread global urban agricultural revolution

 * Shkolnick, 12** - J.D. Candidate, Drake University Law School (Jacob, “SIN EMBARGO: n1 THE CUBAN AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR THE UNITED STATES” 17 Drake J. Agric. L. 683, Fall, lexis)

VI. New Opportunities And As the demand for locally grown produce continues to increase, a cost-effective and proven agricultural model like Cuba's organoponic system may be just what is needed to allow for urban agriculture to flourish.

This prevents the collapse of US agriculture and extinction

 * Peters, 10 –** LL.M. expected 2011, University of Arkansas School of Law, Graduate Program in Agricultural and Food Law; J.D. 2010, University of Oregon School of Law (Kathryn, “Creating a Sustainable Urban Agriculture Revolution” J. ENVTL. LAW AND LITIGATION [Vol. 25, 203, http://law.uoregon.edu/org/jell/docs/251/peters.pdf)

An adequate food supply is essential for the survival of the human race And Without such access, organic-oriented production of horticultural products in Cuba will likely remain a necessity-driven way to produce food for domestic consumption in an environment where other production approaches are just not available.


 * Transition**

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

Cuba under Raúl Castro has entered a  new period of economic, <span class="TitleChar" style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> social, and political <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">transformation. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">And

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Two-way trade must include both Cuba’s private sector as well as SOEs.

Cuban collapse destroys the global war on terror and makes conflicts in hotspots around the globe more likely

 * 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**

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Regardless of the succession, under the current U.S. policy, Cuba’s <span class="TitleChar" style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> problems of a post Castro <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">transformation only worsen. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">And

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Or should the U.S. pursue a new approach to Cuba in an effort to facilitate a manageable transition to post-Castro Cuba?

Hotspots all risk escalation to global nuclear war
David Bosco (a senior editor at Foreign Policy magazine) July 2006 “Forum: Keeping an eye peeled for World War III” []

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">The understanding that <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">small but violent acts can spark // global conflagration //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"> is etched into the world's consciousness. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">And

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">The understanding that <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">small but violent acts can spark // global conflagration //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"> is etched into the world's consciousness.

Independently, enforcing the embargo itself undermines the war on terror

 * 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, [|http://content.thirdway.org/publications/326/Third_Way_Memo_-_End_the_Embargo_of_Cuba.pdf)//EX]

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Keeping the embargo in place requires that the US government devote time and resources to fighting a Cold War-era threat. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">And

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">the State Department could better focus on actual state sponsors of terror and instead use resources in the Western Hemisphere bureau to initiate a new path for engaging Cuba.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif;">Normal Trade Relations is vital – no trade occurs without it

 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif;">French, 9 **<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif;">– editor of and a frequent contributor to The Havana Note. She has led more than two dozen research trips to Cuba (Anya, “Options for Engagement A Resource Guide for Reforming U.S. Policy toward Cuba” <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif;">[] <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif;">)

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif;">the path to “normal” trade relations <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">If the United <span class="StyleBoldUnderline" style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">S <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">tates <span class="StyleBoldUnderline" style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">were to lift its trade <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">embargo <span class="StyleBoldUnderline" style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">against Cuba, <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">this would not automatically confer “normal” <span class="StyleBoldUnderline" style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">status to the bilateral <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">trade relationship. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">And <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;"> Assuming bilateral relations had reached the appropriate milestones to begin discussing two-way trade, negotiating such an agreement could potentially take years, as both countries would need to adopt statutory and regulatory changes.

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” [])

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The option with the greatest possibility of success and reward for the United States is to support the Cuban people, but not the Cuban government <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">And

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The United States can’t stand by and watch Cuba regain strength, intact as a communist country, but must take this opportunity to create an inflection point for Cuba that guides her onto a path that will benefit the nations of the Americas.


 * Multilateral**

US leadership is unsustainable without a highly visible commitment to multilateralism

 * 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”, [] )//NG

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The safeguarding of US authority requires multilateralism that is broader and certainly <span class="TitleChar" style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">deeper than in the 1990s <span class="TitleChar" style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">And

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Recognizing the universal need to restrain authority, the United States should, in its own self-interest, lead the way to a new world order.

The plan is a powerful symbol of that commitment

 * Burgsdorff, 9–** Ph. D in Political Science from Freiburg University, EU Fellow at the University of Miami (Sven Kühn von, “Problems and Opportunities for the Incoming Obama Administration”, [] )//NG

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">6.3 How would the international community react? <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;">And

__<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">it __<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">would be interpreted by the international community as steps towards effective multilateralism.

The alternative to multilateralism is unilateral militarism – the plan establishes a model for hemispheric diplomacy that sustains US leadership
Grandin 10 – teaches history at New York University and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Greg, “Empire's Senescence: U.S. Policy in Latin America,” //New Labor Forum//, 19:1, Winter 2010, pg. 14-23)//SJF//

//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Washington’s relations with Latin America—particularly in terms of the gap between what its policy toward the region is and what it could be // And// <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">as domestic ideologues, unchecked corporate power, and political paralysis quicken the U.S.’s fall.

The plan creates a credible model for multilateral conflict resolution
Dickerson 10 – Lieutenant Colonel, US Army, paper submitted in fulfillment of a Master of Strategic Studies Degree at the US Army War College (Sergio M, “UNITED STATES SECURITY STRATEGY TOWARDS CUBA,” 1/14/10, http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a518053.pdf)//SJF

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">At the international political level, President <span class="TitleChar" style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Obama sees <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">resuming relations with Cuba as a real step towards multilateralism <span class="TitleChar" style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> and leadership <span class="TitleChar" style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">And

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The U.S. could begin to lead again and reverse its perceived decline in the greater global order bringing true peace for years to come.

Reliance on unilateralism will collapse US leadership and cause global wars with weapons of mass destruction

 * Montalván, 10** - a 17-year veteran of the U.S. Army including multiple combat tours in Iraq, master's of science from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism (Luis, “Multilateralism is Essential for Peace in the 21st Century” Huffington Post, 4/23, [])

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Unilateralism is the wrong approach for American Diplomacy. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">And

Concerns over economic stability, limited resources and security have divided us. Now is the time to create rather than divide common ground.

Any step short of __unconditional removal__ means won’t create the same symbol of multilateralism
Vivanco 6 - LLM from Harvard Law School, Americas director of Humans Rights Watch

(Jose Miguel, “Restraint, not force, will bring change to Cuba”, humans rights watch, 12/22/06, [], google scholar)//KW

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">This reluctance would be understandable but misguided <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">And

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow',sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Only when the US stops acting like Goliath will Cuba stop looking like David.


 * Our negation of someone else's affirmation of the**** 2013-2014 **** policy debate resolution: **