2016-2017 Atlanta Urban Debate League Page 1 of 23 Human Rights Counterplan (Neg & Aff Answers) 2016-2017 More resources at Page 1 of 23 2016-2017 Atlanta Urban Debate League Page 2 of 23 Human Rights Counterplan (Neg & Aff Answers) 2016-2017 Table of Contents What is a Counterplan? ............................................................................................................................................... 3 Explanation of the Negative Counterplan Strategy ............................................................................................... 4 Explanation of Conditionality ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Explanation of the Affirmative Strategy .................................................................................................................... 5 Key Terms ........................................................................................................................................................................ 6 What Human rights abuses occur in China? .......................................................................................................... 7 Human Rights CP—Neg .............................................................................................................................................. 8 ***1NC Human Rights Conditions CP (vs. Space)1/2*** .................................................................................... 9 ***1NC Human Rights Conditions CP (vs. Space) 2/2*** ................................................................................ 10 ***1NC Human Rights Conditions CP (vs. TPP) 1/2*** .................................................................................... 11 ***1NC Human Rights Conditions CP (vs. TPP) 2/2*** .................................................................................... 12 ***2NC Overview*** ................................................................................................................................................ 13 ***They say—Permutation*** ................................................................................................................................. 14 *** They Say: “China Says No” (1/2) *** ................................................................................................................ 15 *** They Say: “China Says No” (2/2) *** ................................................................................................................ 16 *** They Say: “Conditionality Bad” *** .................................................................................................................. 17 *** Solvency—Extension (1/1) *** ......................................................................................................................... 18 *** Extend—Improving Human Rights Stop Conflicts *** ............................................................................... 19 Aff answers .................................................................................................................................................................. 20 *** 2AC block vs Human Rts CP *** .................................................................................................................... 21 ***2AC—Conditionality is bad*** ......................................................................................................................... 22 ***Extend—Pressuring China fails*** ................................................................................................................... 23 Page 2 of 23 2016-2017 Atlanta Urban Debate League Page 3 of 23 Human Rights Counterplan (Neg & Aff Answers) 2016-2017 What is a Counterplan? A counterplan is a type of negative argument that proposes a different policy than the plan. It is introduced as an off-case position in the 1NC. A counterplan consists of 2 parts: 1. Counterplan Text—The counterplan text explains what the counterplan does, the way the plan text in 1AC does for the affirmative case. The counterplan text helps distinguish the difference between the plan and the counterplan. For example, if the plan says the United States Federal Government should make James’s birthday national pizza day and the Counterplan says the United States Federal Government should make James’s birthday national burger day, the difference is the plan says pizza and the counterplan says burgers. 2. Solvency—Much like an affirmative case needs solvency, the counterplan also needs solvency to explain why it’s a good idea. Page 3 of 23 2016-2017 Atlanta Urban Debate League Page 4 of 23 Human Rights Counterplan (Neg & Aff Answers) 2016-2017 Explanation of the Negative Counterplan Strategy The counterplan argues that the affirmative plan should only be done if China takes measures to improve its human rights. According to the negative, pressuring China by refusing to engage them unless they improve human rights will lead to an increase in human rights protections in China. The net benefit is that improving human rights in China leads to global human rights promotion. Without being able to point to China as a place that has improved human rights, the US has much worse credibility to persuade other countries to do the same. The impact is that global human rights protections develop an understanding of our shared humanity worldwide, which prevents war. The counterplan must be run conditionally—explanation below. Explanation of Conditionality Conditionality refers to the “status” of the counterplan. The negative can read the counterplan in the INC and then choose mid-round to not go for it (“kick” the counterplan in debate terms). If the negative kicks the counterplan, the strategy is reverting to defend the status quo. When the negative defends a counterplan but reserves the right to revert to defending the status quo, they are defending the counterplan conditionally. In response, the affirmative can argue that conditionality should not be allowed. When the affirmative makes this argument, the negative must respond by defending the desirability of conditionality. This is called a theory argument. Page 4 of 23 2016-2017 Atlanta Urban Debate League Page 5 of 23 Human Rights Counterplan (Neg & Aff Answers) 2016-2017 Explanation of the Affirmative Strategy The affirmative has a number of responses to the counterplan: • They argue that the counterplan does not compete. They have a permutation to do both the plan and the counterplan and a permutation to do the counterplan. • They also have substantive responses to the counterplan, arguing that China says no, that pressure is unsuccessful and may even backfire by reducing human rights protections, and that China won’t comply with the counterplan. If the affirmative wins China won’t do the plan then the advantages of the plan are disadvantages to the counterplan, since the counterplan would prevent the plan from happening. • Finally, the affirmative can make theoretical objections to the counterplan — arguing that conditional counterplans are unfair to the affirmative. Page 5 of 23 2016-2017 Atlanta Urban Debate League Page 6 of 23 Human Rights Counterplan (Neg & Aff Answers) 2016-2017 Key Terms Human rights- Human rights are based on the principle of respect for the individual. Their fundamental assumption is that each person is a moral and rational being who deserves to be treated with dignity. They are called human rights because they are universal. Whereas nations or specialized groups enjoy specific rights that apply only to them, human rights are the rights to which everyone is entitled—no matter who they are or where they live—simply because they are alive. Page 6 of 23 2016-2017 Atlanta Urban Debate League Page 7 of 23 Human Rights Counterplan (Neg & Aff Answers) 2016-2017 What Human rights abuses occur in China? According to Human Rights Watch-- https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2016/country- chapters/china-and-tibet (yes this can be used as evidence, but this card is needed to give background on the subject) Ruled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for more than six decades, China remains an authoritarian state, one that systematically curtails a wide range of fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression, association, assembly, and religion. While there were a few modest positive developments in 2015— authorities, for example, reduced the number of crimes eligible for the death penalty from 55 to 46 and issued directives guaranteeing students with disabilities “reasonable accommodation” in university entrance exams— the trend for human rights under President Xi Jinping continued in a decidedly negative direction. Senior Chinese leaders, perceiving a threat to their power, now explicitly reject the universality of human rights, characterizing these ideas as “foreign infiltration,” and penalizing those who promote them. Freedoms of expression and religion, already limited, were hit particularly hard in 2015 by several restrictive new measures. Individuals and groups who have fought hard in the past decade for human rights gains were the clearest casualties of an aggressive campaign against peaceful dissent, their treatment starkly contrasting with President Xi’s vow to promote “rule of law.” Between July and September, about 280 human rights lawyers and activists were briefly detained and interrogated across the country. About 40 remain in custody, most in secret locations without access to lawyers or family,