Resolved: The United States ought to promote democracy in the Middle East.

I'll read two DA's, and a CP. First is the Saudi Relations DA. A] Uniqueness: US-Saudi relations strong now Sputnik News 16 http://sputniknews.com... We have as solid a relationship with Saudi Arabia. The two countries cooperate in energy and security. Saudi Arabia is major oil exporter to the US. B] Link: Democracy promotion undermines relations Hassan 15 http://www.tandfonline.com... Nowhere is this conflict of interest more pronounced than with Saudi Arabia. US profess a desire for democracy whilst Saudi Arabia is "pushing back". The US have continued to prioritize security over democracy. As a result, there is little immediate tension between policy and Saudi Arabia. C] Impact: Saudi Arabian backlash turns the case Hassan 15 http://www.tandfonline.com... Emphasis on democratization is significant with Saudi Arabia"s ability to counter democracy promotion. Saudi Arabia"s willingness to support Egypt can undercut efforts. Saudi ability to undercut US economic leverage is a direct challenge to the democracy promotion agenda. US-Saudi relations key to prevent terrorism Hassan 15 http://www.tandfonline.com... Saudi Arabia is an ally and trading partner of the US and a strong partner in security and counterterrorism efforts, providing military and financial cooperation. Terrorism leads to violent foreign military intervention " empirically proven by 9/11. Nuclear retaliation will ensue - extinction. Wright 07 http://select.nytimes.com... We reacted to 9/11 by invading countries, creating more terrorists. With terrorists growing " amid evolving nukes " we could see terrorism on a scale that would make us forget any restraint. Armed with nukes, they would revive the nuclear Armageddon scenario, the planetary death spiral. On to the Russia DA. Russia uses military, economic, and energy threats to counter US democracy promotion efforts " leads to conflicts like Ukraine Babayan 15 "The return of the empire? Russia's counteraction to transatlantic democracy promotion in its near abroad" Russia is prone to counteract US when faced with democracy promotion. Energy is the main pressure point. Russia threatened to increase gas prices by 60%. Russia increased arms export. This served as a clear warning. Russia has contributed to the stagnation of democratization. Russia has also strived to maintain the status quo. The impact is also intervention, military threats, and trade wars Babayan 15 "The return of the empire? Russia's counteraction to transatlantic democracy promotion in its near abroad" Counteraction to democracy promotion is a byproduct of Russia protecting its strategic interests. Military interests are emphasized. Russia countered democracy promotion in the post-Soviet space. It engaged in trade wars, admitted Russian pressure and threats of "asymmetric measures" in response to Western sanctions. Let's go to the Stable Promotion CP. Text: the United States Federal Government should focus democracy promotion efforts on countries which are sufficiently stable and feature pro-democratic reform coalitions that can be empowered by democratic conditionality and assistance and assist target states in reducing their asymmetric interdependence on illiberal regional powers. CP resolves problems with democratization " builds credibility B"rzel "15 "The noble west and the dirty rest? Western democracy promoters and illiberal regional powers" Illiberal powers seek to countervail Western democracy promotion to protect their economic, geostrategic, or political interests. This democratization-stability dilemma undermines the effectiveness of Western democracy promotion. Democratic processes are not promoted by Western powers but mostly endogenously driven. The more unstable a target state is and the less democratic, the more difficult it will be to reconcile the protection and promotion of human rights and democracy with ensuring security and stability. Democracy promotion should focus on countries like Tunisia, which are sufficiently stable and feature pro-democratic reform coalitions that can be empowered by democratic conditionality and assistance. Rather than blaming their failure to support democracy on illiberal powers, they should develop strategies to balance their different foreign policy goals. Because the aff is promoting democracy in the Middle East, a non-stable area, I would win this debate since I am promoting democracy and civil liberties in a more suited place. This directly turns my opponent's case since he's trying to promote civil liberties. I solve better than the aff.