Resolved: NATO presence improved the lives of Afghan citizens.

C1: Economic Growth If you look up Afghanistan's GDP, it increased *faster* after NATO involvement. It was falling *prior* to NATO involvement in the region.[1] "The economy of Afghanistan has improved significantly since 2002 due to the infusion of billions of dollars in international assistance and investments"[2] Extractive institutions inhibit economic growth as people are not incentivized to produce. Inclusive institutions--imposed by the NATO regime--allow people to have private property and there are greater incentives to work and produce. Therefore, had the Taliban been allowed to control the country, economic growth would have been much less than we have seen. Inclusive institutions have been found, throughout history, to increase economic growth. Whereas extractive institutions decrease growth. (Why Nations Fail, book). Therefore, NATO's involvement in the Afghan economic system have benefited the people of Afghanistan. C2: Political Stability NATO has assisted Afghan security forces in building a system which will prevent future terrorist groups from taking over the country. Preventing terrorist forces from reoccupying Afghanistan is one of the main reasons the international community has dedicated itself to assisting Afghanistan. The governments from all around the world have been giving aid to Afghanistan, which has drastically increased economic growth and stability in the region. The UK alone has pledged to give 178 million pounds per year throughout 2012 - 2017. This aid will assist Afghanistan in "maintain[ing] its own security and prevent the return of international terrorists." https://www.gov.uk...... As noted above, the economic security of Afghanistan has increased dramatically due to foreign intervention. This contributes greatly to the political system, which has a steady flow of income due to foreign investments. Investors prefer countries where the political systems are predictable and easy to understand. This has occurred in Afghanistan due to NATO's assistance. The stability will lead to economic growth, military stability, and a functioning political system where more people can voice their opinions. All of this, which can be traced to NATO's efforts, has helped the country and it's people. The UK, for example, is committed towards helping the new Afghan government. A stable government is the only sure way to "secure peace and stability". https://www.gov.uk...... In fact, Afghanistan has gone from a dysfunctional state before NATO's involvement to a state where the people can rely on their government for security. NATO merely two dozen patrols each day, whereas the Afghanistan security forces do the rest. The Afghan forces control all but 70 of the 852 bases inside the country. In previous years, NATO would complete hundreds of patrols per day and oversaw almost every military base. However, lessons from Iraq tell us that if NATO leaves prematurely instability may again ensue. It has been noted by many analysts that NATO presence helps the country, and that leaving too soon will put the country at risk. It has been recommended that NATO continues to have 'troops on the ground' in order to continue a stable government. http://www.heritage.org...... In fact, much of the issues of stability are related to NATO leaving the country. Therefore, NATO presence increased stability in he country. "Afghanistan's security situation is likely to deteriorate if U.S. and other foreign forces withdraw" http://www.cfr.org...... In order for elections to be "free", NATO forces must stay in the region in order to combat the Taliban, which has been working to subvert the election processes in Afghanistan. Therefore, if anything, NATO involvement should *increase*, not decrease, in order to maximize stability. Later when if they claim that Afghan security forces are harming the country, this notes how Afghani security forces have dramatically improved under NATO supervision and have "performed adequately". http://www.longwarjournal.org...... "In southern Afghanistan, security has improved in Kandahar City and in the Arghandab River Valley to the west" Also security operations in the east of the country "have decreased insurgent ability to refit and resupply for the coming summer fighting season" (above link; long war journal) C3: Better Infrastructure Before NATO involvement, most of Afghanistan had any modern infrastructure. In fact, most rural areas had absolutely zero infrastructure. US involvement alone has led to more people having access to clean water, electricity, an improved electrical grid, and 500 medical facilities. Including help from all of the nations put together, there are 600 medical facilities that have been created. The involvement has dramatically increased the well being of the average Afghanistan citizen. NATO is now working with the local government in order to maintain these improvements. "In 2002, only six percent of Afghans had access to reliable power; today, more than 28% do. . . . USAID has invested more than $2 billion on the construction and rehabilitation of more than 2,000 kilometers (km) of roads, including Afghanistan"s Ring Road, which connects the country"s five major cities . . . The Afghan government and USAID have constructed more than 3,000 wells, primarily in rural communities, to provide reliable clean water for the first time to more than 615,000 Afghans, and nearly 33,000 latrines help to prevent the spread of disease . . . USAID erected two high schools for 12,000 students in Kabul City and four provincial teacher-training centers in Faryab, Nangarhar, Parwan, and Wardak, and six faculties of higher education facilities in Bamyan, Parwan, Herat, Balkh, Jawzjan and Faryab." http://www.usaid.gov...... On to you, Con.