The United States Should End Its Economic Sanctions Against Venezuela

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The United States Should End Its Economic Sanctions Against Venezuela January 2020 Advanced Public Forum Brief 2 Resolved: The United States should end its economic sanctions against Venezuela. This topic brief was written by Jesse Meyer. Jesse is a diamond coach, recipient of the Donald Crabtree Service Award, the state of Iowa’s 2015 Coach of the Year, member of the TOC’s PF advisory board, and board member of the Iowa Forensics League. He is currently an assistant coach at Iowa City West High School. He can be reached at [email protected]. National Speech & Debate Association • Public Forum Debate: JANUARY 2020 ADVANCED BRIEF January 2020 Advanced Public Forum Brief 3 Table of Contents Contents Advanced PF Brief January 2020 ................................................................................................................... 1 Resolved: The United States should end its economic sanctions against Venezuela. .................................. 2 Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Framework and Definitions ................................................................................................................... 9 Civilians .................................................................................................................................................... 13 Sample Evidence .................................................................................................................................. 16 Further Reading ................................................................................................................................... 20 Refugees .................................................................................................................................................. 21 Sample Evidence .................................................................................................................................. 23 Further Reading ................................................................................................................................... 26 Human Trafficking .................................................................................................................................... 27 Sample Evidence .................................................................................................................................. 29 Further Reading ................................................................................................................................... 33 Narcotics Trafficking ................................................................................................................................ 34 Sample Evidence .................................................................................................................................. 36 Further Reading ................................................................................................................................... 42 Economy/Poverty .................................................................................................................................... 43 Sample Evidence .................................................................................................................................. 46 Further Reading ................................................................................................................................... 51 Russia ....................................................................................................................................................... 53 Sample Evidence .................................................................................................................................. 56 Further Reading ................................................................................................................................... 62 Oil (China and Saudi Arabia Specific) ....................................................................................................... 63 Sample Evidence .................................................................................................................................. 66 Further Reading ................................................................................................................................... 70 Liberal Democracy Bad? .......................................................................................................................... 71 Sample Evidence .................................................................................................................................. 73 Further Reading ................................................................................................................................... 78 Do Sanctions Work? ................................................................................................................................. 79 National Speech & Debate Association • Public Forum Debate: JANUARY 2020 ADVANCED BRIEF January 2020 Advanced Public Forum Brief 4 Sample Evidence .................................................................................................................................. 81 Further Reading ................................................................................................................................... 86 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 87 Pro Arguments At-A-Glance..................................................................................................................... 89 Con Arguments At-A-Glance .................................................................................................................... 90 National Speech & Debate Association • Public Forum Debate: JANUARY 2020 ADVANCED BRIEF January 2020 Advanced Public Forum Brief 5 Introduction The January 2020 pf topic is the US sanction policy and Venezuela. General history “Money speaks” is more than a euphemism for the rich garnering attention in politics, but also a ploy for how one can institute change in the international politics. For as long as nations have had trade and interstate commerce, the idea of using economic pressure to foster a behavior change in an adversarial nation has been used. In modern times, the oldest such measure dates back to 1804. As the newly formed United Stated government sought to gain access to the markets of Europe for their cotton and wool goods, they imposed a list of import taxes on France until France agreed to fair trade in Europe. During the French War of Independence, the US sought to aid our French allies by putting huge import taxes and trade restrictions on England in hopes of crippling their economy. Over the course of the next one hundred years, the US would use economics to influence policy and gain leverage over nations like China during the Boxer Rebellion, the Spanish colonies in Central America during the Mexican American War, and Japan during the pre WWII buildup (which also was a major complaint and reason for the Japanese entrance into WWII on the side of the Axis powers in the first place.) In recent times, economic sanctions have been used as a form of weapon, much like we would use a bomb or a bullet. The purpose and guiding principal behind such action is that regime change requires instability. Besides launching a full-scale military operation to destabilize the nation, one might be able to do such a thing with economics. Starting in the era post Korean War, economics were used to isolate the Soviet Union from acquiring new allies across the world. Under threat of trade embargos and the severing of trade ties, nations were pushed into supporting the United States and its allies. Direct trade embargos on agriculture materials and modern electronics hindered the USSR’s development as their industry was ill equipped to develop these goods on their own. In the 1880’s and with the rise of radical dictatorships in Central and South America and the Middle East, economic sanctions were used as a means to promote regime change. In many cases, the sanctions failed to do so and covert actions were necessary to oust the dictators that become entrenched by anti-American sentiment over the sanctions and their impact on the general people. After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, sanctions were imposed on Iran’s new government to little success outside of giving the radical leaders of Iran a contestant talking point. In Iraq under Saddam Husain, sanctions were used to attempt to not only force his hand on human rights issues but to limit his access to materials necessary to build a nuclear reactor. While he grew rich due to black market oil sales, his schools went without basic supplies like pencils due to the embargo. Sanctions in North Korea were National Speech & Debate Association • Public Forum Debate: JANUARY 2020 ADVANCED BRIEF January 2020 Advanced Public Forum Brief 6 implemented in the mid 2000’s to curb their nuclear ambitions but as of today, North Korea is a nuclear state with a developing missile program. Have there been success stories? The complicated short answer is yes. In South Africa, the change from an apartheid system to a democratic elections system was likely pressured by international
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