Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge: 

Heg doesn’t solve war
Christopher Preble (director of foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute) August 2010 “U.S. Military Power: Preeminence for What Purpose?” http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/u-s-military-power-preeminence-for-what-purpose/

Most in Washington still embraces the notion that America is, and forever will be
AND
States while the schlubs in fly-over country pick up the tab.

Dominance doesn’t equal influence – the US lacks leverage.
Mastanduno 9
(Michael, Professor of Government at Dartmouth, World Politics 61, No. 1, Ebsco,)

During the cold war the United States dictated the terms of adjustment. It derived
AND
way, but it can no longer count on getting its own way.

Heg decline inevitable and peaceful – attempting to sustain incites escalatory wars and flips the aff
Quinn 11
Adam, Lecturer in International Studies. Adam Quinn, University of Birmingham (July 1, 2011, “The Art of Declining Politely,” International Affairs Volume 87, Issue 4)

As noted in the opening passages of this article, the narratives of America’s decline
AND
seems it is fortunate enough to have a president who fits the bill.

Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge:
(Insert Link here)

Capitalism results in extinction—ecological destruction and unending warfare
International Review 1989
(The decomposition of capitalist society, 57:2 http://en.internationalism.org/node/3070)

Similarly, all the disasters that the ecologists blame on ‘technical progress' the growing
AND
no limit to the horror of this bloody monster that is decadent capitalism.

Our alternative-Vote Neg to abandon capital in the everyday-this is the only strategy for breaking free
Herod  04
James Herod author of several books on capitalism and social activist since 1968 Getting Free 2004 http://site.www.umb.edu/faculty/salzman_g/Strate/GetFre/06.htm 

It is time to try to describe, at first abstractly and later concretely,
AND
who democratically and cooperatively self-determine the shape of their social world. 

Links

Natural Gas
Natural Gas is a stop gap solution endorsed by the elite that trades off with real solutions to the environmental crisis
Zalik 8 (Anna, 06 November, Zalik teaches in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University in Toronto. Her research concerns the merging of industrial security and development aid interventions in sites of petroleum extraction and social resistance to extractive capital.  “Liquefied Natural Gas and Fossil Capitalism”, http://monthlyreview.org/2008/11/01/liquefied-natural-gas-and-fossil-capitalism, Volume 60)

The contemporary ecological crisis places a new spin on the notion of the “resource
AND
.S. market, servicing that country’s hydrocarbon-accumulation model.3

Nuclear
Nuclear power will never be safe in a capitalistic society- it will co-opt the plan and lead to the replication of the horrors of Japan’s nuclear disaster
Williams 12 (Chris, July 28, Williams is author of Ecology and Socialism: Solutions to Capitalist Ecological Crisis, reports on an independent investigation into Japan’s nuclear nightmare. “NUCLEAR ENERGY: Capitalism’s Disastrous Priority”, http://www.dianuke.org/nuclear-energy-capitalisms-disastrous-priority/)

Ultimately, we get to the heart of the matter: “As the nuclear
AND
we have no better alternatives to generating electricity than operating nuclear power stations?

Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge:
NATURAL GAS 

Obama will win now but you never know…
Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight, 6-7-2012, Election Forecast: Obama Begins with Tenuous Advantage, p. http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/07/election-forecast-obama-begins-with-tenuous-advantage/

The first look at the 2012 FiveThirtyEight presidential forecast has Barack Obama as a very
AND
and economic indicators are a pretty rough guide five months before an election.

Obama must hold the line on natural gas drilling and the environment – key to his liberal voting bloc
(this is why he has yet to embrace the sector beyond rhetoric)
Kenneth Gulley, September 19, 2012. “Obama’s Misguided Green Energy Policy,” http://www.neontommy.com/news/2012/09/obamas-misguided-green-energy-policy

Though free-market capitalism is the reason we have been so successful as a
AND
cowardly appeal to uninformed liberal voters who are particularly sympathetic toward environmental issues.

Fracking is a key issue for environment voters
Sustainable Business August 5, 2011. “Opposition to Natural Gas Fracking Heats Up,”
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/22751
Public opposition to hydraulic fracturing is growing in the US and abroad as more people
AND
New Jersey is now,” says Senator Bob Gordon (D-Bergen).

Caving at the last minute alienates Obama’s base*
Huffington Post, 12-27-11. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-schiffman/the-epa-gets-it-right-but_b_1169977.html

Obama's decision to back up the EPA on its latest effort to restrict mercury in
AND
others concerned with the health and safety of Americans will be watching closely.

The impact is Russia – Romney prompts tilt – Obama is key to resilient cooperation.
The Economist, 9-1-2012, Romney Could Screw Up US Relations with Russia, Business Insider, p. www.businessinsider.com/mitt-romneys-foreign-policy-chops-come-into-light-2012-9, accessed 9-2-2012
Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate in the US presidential election, has indicated that
AND
a narrative that portrays Russia as targeted by malevolent, interfering Western powers.

Extinction is inevitable without relations – top foreign political priority  
Jeffrey Tayler, 2008 (Atlantic staff writer, “Medvedev Spoils the Party,”
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/11/medvedev-spoils-the-party/7130/)
Like it or not, the United States cannot solve crucial global problems without Russian
AND
indispensable nation” with which to face a volatile future arm in arm. 

Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge:
NUCLEAR 

Obama will win now but you never know…
Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight, 6-7-2012, Election Forecast: Obama Begins with Tenuous Advantage, p. http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/07/election-forecast-obama-begins-with-tenuous-advantage/

The first look at the 2012 FiveThirtyEight presidential forecast has Barack Obama as a very
AND
and economic indicators are a pretty rough guide five months before an election.

Nuclear power sparks mass public backlash.
CSI 12. Civil Society Institute, “SURVEY: AMERICANS NOT WARMING UP TO NUCLEAR POWER ONE YEAR AFTER FUKUSHIMA” March 7 -- http://www.civilsocietyinstitute.org/media/030712release.cfm

One year after the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear reactors in Japan, Americans continue
AND
. government props it up and forces the public to bear the risks."

Environmental concerns can cost Obama his base
Huffington Post, 12-27-11. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-schiffman/the-epa-gets-it-right-but_b_1169977.html

Obama's decision to back up the EPA on its latest effort to restrict mercury in
AND
others concerned with the health and safety of Americans will be watching closely.

The impact is Russia – Romney prompts tilt – Obama is key to resilient cooperation.
The Economist, 9-1-2012, Romney Could Screw Up US Relations with Russia, Business Insider, p. www.businessinsider.com/mitt-romneys-foreign-policy-chops-come-into-light-2012-9, accessed 9-2-2012

Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate in the US presidential election, has indicated that
AND
a narrative that portrays Russia as targeted by malevolent, interfering Western powers.

Extinction is inevitable without relations – top foreign political priority  
Jeffrey Tayler, 2008 (Atlantic staff writer, “Medvedev Spoils the Party,”
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/11/medvedev-spoils-the-party/7130/)

Like it or not, the United States cannot solve crucial global problems without Russian
AND
indispensable nation” with which to face a volatile future arm in arm. 

Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge:
Renewables are on the rise
Bergenson 9/18
Study shows promising growth in global clean technology market BY ANGIE BERGENSON  – SEPTEMBER 18, 2012 http://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/study-shows-promising-growth-in-global-clean-technology-market/855869/

New research commissioned by the German government highlights a promising future for the global clean
AND
at present have not had a negative effect on the clean technology market. 

(Insert Link)

Renewables key to the economy
NARUC 2011
ENCOURAGING RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT. http://www.iern.net/portal/page/portal/IERN_HOME/TRAINING_CONF_RESEARCH/Regulatory_Research_Exchange/2011/NARUC%20-%20RES%20Handbook%20-%20FINAL%20FULL%20VERSION%2003%2004%2011.pdf. National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.

Renewable energy can offer sustainable economic growth, particularly on a national level, by
AND
trillion by 2020 – seed money for a wholesale reconfiguration of global industry.”

Collapse leads to Extinction
Bearden 2K
T.E. Bearden, LTC U.S. Army (Retired), 2000 “The Unnecessary Energy Crisis: How to Solve It Quickly,” http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3aaf97f22e23.htm, June 24

History bears out that desperate nations take desperate actions. Prior to the final economic
AND
, and perhaps most of the biosphere, at least for many decades.

Links

Natural gas

Natural Gas prevents transition to renewables
Suzuki 12
“What’s the Fracking Problem with Natural Gas?” 09-12-2012 David Suzuki is Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and holds 27 honorary degrees from universities around the world. http://ecowatch.org/2012/whats-the-fracking-problem-with-natural-gas/

More than anything, continued and increasing investment in natural gas extraction and infrastructure will slow investment in, and transition to, renewable energy. Would companies that build gas-fired power plants be willing to shut them down, or pay the high cost of capturing and storing carbon, as the world gets serious about the need to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Just as fossil fuels from conventional sources are finite and are becoming depleted, those from difficult sources will also run out. If we put all our energy and resources into continued fossil fuel extraction, we will have lost an opportunity to have invested in renewable energy.

Nuclear 

Expanding nuclear power crowds out renewable and efficiency programs
Cooper 10
COOPER , SEPT. ’10 MARK COOPER SENIOR FELLOW FOR ECONOMIC ANALYSIS INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT VERMONT LAW SCHOOL, “POLICY CHALLENGES OF NUCLEAR REACTOR CONSTRUCTION, COST ESCALATION AND CROWDING OUT ALTERNATIVES LESSONS FROM THE, U.S. AND FRANCE FOR THE EFFORT TO REVIVE THE U.S. INDUSTRY WITH LOAN GUARANTEES AND TAX SUBSIDIES http://www.vermontlaw.edu/Documents/IEE/20100909_cooperStudy.pdf, ACC. 8-3-12, JT

The commitment to nuclear reactors in France and the U.S appears to have
AND
period, and ¶  have much stronger utility efficiency programs in place. 

Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge:
Oil prices will stabilize now unless OPEC floods the market
Gronholt-Pedersen 6/22 (Joseph, the Economist, “Oil Market Well Balanced; OPEC to Determine Short-Term Outlook -BP Economist” http://investing.businessweek.com/research/markets/news/article.asp?docKey=600-201206220519DOWJONESENRGYSVC000603-1andparams=timestamp%7C%7C06/22/2012%205:19%20AM%20ET%7C%7Cheadline%7C%7COil%20Market%20Well%20Balanced%3B%20OPEC%20to%20Determine%20Short-Term%20Outlook%20-BP%20Economist%7C%7CdocSource%7C%7CDow%20Jones%20and%20Company%2C%20Inc.%7C%7Cprovider%7C%7CACQUIREMEDIA )

SINGAPORE--The global oil market is more balanced now than it was in 2011
AND
level, and they can do that for a while," he said.

The plan reduces US consumption - That causes Saudi Arabia to flood the oil market and collapse prices– tanks other producers.
ERGO 2/1/12 Provides a wide range of research and consulting services focused on oil and gas, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, citing eight sources from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, OPEC, and Middle East politics, ‘The Waning Era of Saudi Oil Dominance,’ http://www.ergo.net/ErgoSpecialReport_Saudi_Oil_Feb2012.pdf, 

Saudi Arabia’s importance to global oil markets is due not solely to its immense reserves
AND
and slowing upstream expansion programs in countries that had sought high oil prices. 

Alternative energy signals cause OPEC to flood
Goodstein ‘07
PhD, professor of physics and applied physics at Caltech (David L, “OPEC Accepts No Substitute” Nature Physics vol. 3, November 2007, p.750)

At the time of the invasion of Iraq, the reasons given for it seemed
AND
. There is no substitute for the cheap oil that runs our civilization.

That crushes the Russian economy and undermines support for the regime
KRAMER 12
New York Times writer and editor (ANDREW E. “Higher Oil Prices to Pay for Campaign Promises” New York Times March 16, 2012 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/business/global/vladimir-putins-big-promises-need-fueling-by-high-oil-prices.html?_r=2?pagewanted=print Putin Needs)

MOSCOW — In American presidential politics, high oil prices are a problem. For
AND
plan, though, was never part of Mr. Putin’s stump speech.

Extinction
FILGER 2009
(Sheldon, author and blogger for the Huffington Post, “Russian Economy Faces Disastrous Free Fall Contraction” http://www.globaleconomiccrisis.com/blog/archives/356)

In Russia historically, economic health and political stability are intertwined to a degree that
AND
the financial impact of the Global Economic Crisis is its least dangerous consequence.

Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge:
Obama will wreck opposition on immigration reform, but only because of pocap and ability to overcome weak opposition.
Mckay 12/10/12 (Tom McKay is a staff writing intern at PolicyMic “Immigration Reform 2013: Republican Plan to Beat Obama Will Tear the GOP Apart” http://www.policymic.com/articles/20448/immigration-reform-2013-republican-plan-to-beat-obama-will-tear-the-gop-apart)kk

Republicans are going to get demolished on immigration reform during Obama’s second term, claims
AND
white enclaves into competitive, Latino-heavy districts over the coming years.

Nuclear is political safety – public concern and empirics.
Szondy 12 (Feature: Small modular nuclear reactors - the future of energy?¶ By David Szondy¶ February 16, 2012 http://www.gizmag.com/small-modular-nuclear-reactors/20860/)

The problem is that nuclear energy is the proverbial political hot potato - even in
AND
to the point where coal and nuclear have a hard time matching it.

New immigration reform key to the economy – low and high skilled workers.
Farrell 12/13/12 (chris Farrell is contributing economics editor for Bloomberg Businessweek.  “Obama’s Next Act: Immigration Reform” http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-12-13/obamas-next-act-immigration-reform)kk

More important from a public-policy perspective, the change would give a boost
AND
ranks of immigrants tracks the reduction in crime in the U.S.

US is key to the global economy
Caploe, 09
(David, PhD in International political economy from Princeton, “Focus still on America to lead global recovery,” The Straits Times, 8/2/12)

IN THE aftermath of the G-20 summit, most observers seem to have
AND
recovery for the foreseeable future, even though other countries must certainly help.

Statiticsal studies prove decline causes war
Royal 10 – Director of CTR
Jedediah, Director of Cooperative Threat Reduction – U.S. Department of Defense, “Economic Integration, Economic Signaling and the Problem of Economic Crises”, Economics of War and Peace: Economic, Legal and Political Perspectives, Ed. Goldsmith and Brauer, p. 213-215

Less intuitive is how periods of economic decline may increase the likelihood of external conflict
AND
not featured prominently in the economic-security debate and deserves more attention.