Novice Tournament R2: Military aid ought to be prioritized over development assistance in Africa.

Thank you, Josh.I affirm the resolve, "Military Aid should be Prioritized over Development Assistance in the Sahel region of Africa."ContentionsIt is pointless to invest Development Assistance in a region which is politically corrupt.The vast majority of Sahel governments suffer from immense political corruption. Throughout all levels of government, from federal to local, Sahelian officials are infamous for their unique persistence in draining public treasuries and acting against the public good. Out of 182 countries profiled in Transparency International’s 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index, Sahelian nations occupied some of the worst spots. On a list where the number one country, New Zealand, was the least corrupt, Sahelian countries ranked 112 (Senegal), 118 (Mali), 134 (Eritrea and Niger, tied), 143 (Mauritania and Nigeria, tied), 168 (Chad), and 177 (Sudan) [1]. This deep rooted and chronic misconduct by officials has tremendous social and economic repercussions on Sahelian society.When Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha died in 1998, he was revealed to have stolen over $1 billion from Nigerian treasuries. The systematic and deliberate corruption existed throughout his entire cabinet. According to Forbes, "While he ruled Nigeria from a fortified presidential villa in Nigeria's capital… he and a circle of aides and business partners tapped virtually every stage of the oil business, Nigeria's most important industry and the source of 80 percent of its government revenue. They took kickbacks from foreign companies for licenses to search for oil in the basin and delta of the Niger River and offshore. They got bribes and pocketed the money." [1]. Abacha is just one example of a problem that persists throughout Sahelian governments. The rampant corruption prevents Sahelian citizens from using public infrastructure, ultimately depriving them of the food, clean water, and medicine that comes from foreign development assistance. According to a report by Global Financial Integrity, Nearly $1 trillion was sapped from the developing [Sahel] world in 2011 through bribery and corruption, a dramatic increase from past years, and more than 10 times the total official development assistance that went in." [2]. Until Sahelian governments are free of corruption, it is ridiculous to waste money on development assistance.Military Aid would improve stability.In addition to governmental corruption, violent local conflicts and extreme jihadism take a toll on the stability and overall security of the Sahel region. Terrorist groups are effectively opposing western presence in the Sahel and are attempting to discourage regional development. As long as this violence continues to target western interests, building infrastructure and developing local resources is ineffective and wasteful. According to an article published in the New York Times, "Before any longer-term focus on economic development, political inclusion and government accountability can be achieved in the [Sahel] region the immediate concern is restoring security. Without security there can be no sustainable political and economic development – but security will depend on international cooperation and training of local forces." [3]. A comparable example would be the highway development program in Afghanistan, another politically unstable region. Local terrorist groups have attacked contractors and hijacked development aid. The cost of the project is expected to over-run by nearly 300%, is months behind schedule, and has been hindered by over 300 attacks and road-side bombs [3].Furthermore, instability in the Sahel region is perpetuated by an inadequate criminal justice system and an uncontrollable drug trade. Cooperation between powerful terrorist groups and organized criminals has created a situation in which local resources are being sapped, and citizens live in fear. At a recent conference between representatives from from Algeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali, and Mauritania, delegates listed the drug trade and crime as the two most plaguing issues to Sahelian society, and called for increased security in localities and international support [4].Fortunately, instability is a solvable problem. "The desire of the Sahel countries to improve their military arsenal comes from their situation," security expert Abdallahi Ould Mohamed said, "which forces them to confront security challenges, particularly terrorism and smuggling operations." "It also must be taken into account that these countries, especially Mauritania, Mali and Niger, have poor militaries, leading al-Qaeda to exploit that vulnerability and implement its operations with ease. Thus, they cannot address those risks unless their military capacities are developed." Strategic expert Ibrahim Ould Vall explained, "It is known that military cooperation between the countries of the Sahel and countries with high military experience is very important, and the Sahel countries realized this recently and so focused on strengthening the capacity of their armies." "The threat of terrorism in these countries has become an incentive to strengthen military cooperation between these countries and other countries like the United States… training their armies to track terrorist elements, benefiting from some military equipment in order to protect and monitor the borders, and combating smuggling of all kinds, especially the smuggling of light weapons," he added [4]. Clearly, through prioritization of military aid, Sahel nations can improve their stability and security, which will ultimately allow for utilization of resources, education, and other forms of development assistance later on.Military Aid would save lives.Unlike Development Assistance, Military Aid directly addresses and prevents human rights violations and unnecessary violence through Peace Keeping Organizations (PKOs). Primarily, Military Aid assists in counter-terror and counter-insurgency. Through fighting jihad groups head-on, PKOs drive extremist influence out of the Sahel region and protect local towns. According to Alexis Arieff, Analyst in African Affairs at the Congressional Research Service, "Prior to French intervention, regional and Western leaders had warned of a rising threat to international security associated with an expansion of jihadist influence and scope of operations in Mali, a possible spread of violent extremist ideology, and state fragmentation. The main threat from armed Islamist groups in the north, who appeared to coordinate their actions and share personnel... has been reduced." [5].Military Aid is also necessary to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers. Hundreds of children have been recruited by all of the armed groups active in the Sahel, including Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, Ansar Dine, the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa and the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad [6]. Through direct confrontation and eventual destruction of these armed groups, the use of child soldiers and other violations of international law can be prevented.The resolve is affirmed.Sources[1]http://www.theglobalobservatory.org...[2]http://csis.org...[3]http://aidwatchers.com...[4]http://magharebia.com...[5]http://www.cna.org...[6]Ban Ki-Moon, (UN Secretary General), REPORT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL ON THE SITUATION IN MALI, Mar. 24, 2013.