Developmental Assistance Should Be Prioritized Over Military Aid in the Sahel Region of Africa

We negate resolved: Developmental assistance should be prioritized over military aid in the Sahel region of Africa. To start, we would like to offer the following definitions to clarify today"s debate: Prioritized - Designate or treat something as more important than other things. (Oxford Dictionary) (Because lives are more important and curing disease is good) Important - likely to have a profound effect on success, survival or well-being (Oxford Dictionary) (See blocks and stuff for saving lives evidence) Developmental Assistance - Flows of official financing administered with the promotion of the economic development of developing countries as the main objective. (OECD.org) Military Aid - aid which is used to assist an ally in its defense efforts, or to assist a poor country in maintaining control over its own territory. (National Security Research Division). NOTE: this can also be extended by citing the same source saying that maintaining control involves creating STABILITY, and this will take up to 2 years. (see blocks) Sahel Region - The area of Africa that lies between 12 degrees north and 20 degrees north. (OECD.org) AQIM - The Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb is an Islamist militant organization which aims to overthrow the Algerian government and institute an Islamic state. (Central Intelligence Agency) Next, we would like to offer the following framework on which the round should be judged on: Based on our definitions of the prioritized and important, this round should be weighed on lives - the side that saves the most lives in the Sahel should win the debate. Contention One: Military Aid is a Prerequisite to Stability Subpoint A: Military aid is required for developmental assistance to be successful The situation in the Sahel is very unstable, and terrorist groups need to be pushed out before developmental assistance can be provided. If extremist groups are still in play, developmental assistance will not be successful because violence in the region will continue to kill people and destroy cities and towns. According to data from the European Union, if a region is not stable, developmental assistance will be about 2% effective because it will not be able to be delivered and implemented properly. Additionally, evidence from the same source has shown that AQIM is getting more violent, progressing from taking money to taking lives, so developmental assistance will not be possible to implement in some places where the AQIM have a strong presence - even though that is where it is needed the most. Based on this evidence, we can clearly see that before we think about developmental assistance, we must focus on military aid to ensure a safe and stable region. Contention Two: Sending Developmental Assistance to Corrupt States is Risky Subpoint A: State sponsored terrorism (Sudan) Many states in the Sahel are somewhat corrupt and support terrorism, such as Sudan. The Sudanese Government has sponsored a militia group known as the Janjaweed. The Janjaweed are supplied with weapons by the Sudanese government to murder the people of the western region of the country, known as Darfur. The reasoning behind these attacks are that the people are demanding an even spread of the money that the government is acquiring. According to the United Human Rights Council, since then, the Janjaweed have destroyed over 400 villages, killed over 400,000 people and displaced over 2.5 million. If we provide developmental assistance to Sudan the money will be flowing straight into the hands of the Janjaweed. This is not ideal, because no matter what the top priority should be saving lives, and this can be done by providing military aid. Subpoint B: State sponsored terrorism (Mali) Mali is one of the known bases of AQIM. According to the Central Intelligence Agency, one of the major influences on Malian politics are Islamic authorities, and in most cases this means insurgencies are controlling the government. Similar statements can also be found in a March 22, 2012 article in the New York Times. Al-Qaeda's allies joined with Tuareg separatists to take advantage of the chaos following the coup to seize power in the desert north of Mali, says the Telegraph. (a prominent British newspaper). AQIM has a strong handhold in the government in Mali and the violence that it brings to the region is going to undo any developmental assistance within the blink of an eye unless military aid is provided. Based on this point, we can see that military aid will solve for terrorism in the long term, so it must be prioritized over developmental assistance. Subpoint C: Terrorism Haven (Somalia) The Somali Al Qaeda, linked insurgent group Al-Shabaab has been fighting to rule the country and has started to invite other Al - Qaeda members from around the world to come and participate in their fight. (Council on Foreign Relations). The Council on Foreign Relations calls Somalia "quote a chaotic, poor, battle-weary Muslim country with no central government and a long, unguarded coastline. Its porous borders mean that individuals can enter without visas, and once inside the country, enjoy an almost complete lack of law enforcement endquote" and "quote a desirable haven for transnational terrorists endquote" Because Somalia is a "haven" for terrorists, it is necessary to prioritize military aid over developmental assistance because, as data from the European Union proves, without stability in the region, developmental assistance will not work. Because my partner and I have proven that military aid is a prerequisite to developmental assistance, and that sending developmental assistance to corrupt states is inherently risky, we can only see a CON ballot in today"s debate.