1NC Extinction outweighs – no coping mechanisms, no experience, no trial-and-error, future generations- Outweighs structural violence Bostrom 2 (Nick Professor of Philosophy and Global Studies at Yale.. www.transhumanist.com/volume9/risks.html.)JFS Risks in th is sixth categ ory are a recent pheno menon .This is part of the reason why it is useful to distinguish them from other risks. We have not evolved mechanisms, either biologically or culturall y, for managing such risks . Our intuitions and coping strategies have been shaped by our long experience with riskssuch as dangerous animals, hostile individuals or tribes, poisonous foods, automobile accidents, Chernobyl, Bhopal, volcano eruptions, earthquakes, draughts, World War I, Wo rld War II, epidemics of influena, smallpo!, black pla gue, and "I#$. These types of disasters have occurred many times and our cultural attitudes towards risk have been shaped by trialanderrorin managing such haards. But tragic as such events are to the people immediately affected, in the big picture of things % from the perspective of humankind as a whole ! even the worst of these catastrophes are mere ripples on the surface of the great sea of life. "hey haven#tsignificantly affected the total amount of human suffering or happiness or determined the longterm fate of our species. With the e!ception of a species&destroying comet or aster oid impact 'an e!tremely rare occurrence(, there were probably no significant e!istential risks in human history until t he mid&twentieth century, and certainly none that it was within our power to do something about. "he firstmanmade existential risk was theinaugural detonation of an atomic bomb. "t the time, there was some concern that the e!plosion might start a runaway chain&reaction by )igniting* the atmosphere. "lthough we now know that such an outcome was physically impossible, it qualifies as an e!istential risk that was present at the time. +o r there to be a risk, given the kno wledge and understanding available, it suffices that there is some subective probability of an adverse outcome, even if it later turns out that obectively there was no chance of something bad happening. $f we don#t know whether something is obectively riskyor not, then it is riskyin the subective sense. The subective sense is of course what we must base our decisions on. -/"t any given time we must use our bestcurrent subective esti mate ofwhat the obective riskfactors are.-0/" much greater e!istential riskemerged with the build&up of nuclear arsenals i n the 1$ and the 1$$2. "n all&out nuclear war was a possibility with both a substantial probability and with consequen ces that mighthave been persistent enough to qu alify as global and terminal. There w as a real worry among those best acquainted with the information available at the time that a nuclear "rmageddon would occur and that it might annihilate our species or permanently destroy human civiliation.-3/2ussia and the 1$ retain large n uclear arsenals that could be used in a future confrontation, either accidentally or deliberately. There is also a risk that other states may one day build up large nuclear arsenals. 4ote however that a smaller nuclear e!change, between India and 5akistan for instance, is not an e!istential risk, since it would not destroy or thwart humankind6s potential permanently. $uch a war might however be a local terminal risk for the c ities most likely to be targeted. 1nfortun ately, we shall see that nuclear %rmageddonand comet or asteroid strikes are mere preludes to the existential risks that we will encounter in the &'st century. The special nature of the challenges posed by e!istential risks is illustrated by the following points7 Our approac h to existent ial risks cannot b eone of trialan!error. "here is no o pportunit# to learn $rom errors."he reactive approach% see what happens, limit damages, and learn from e!perience % is unworkable. 2ather, we must take a proactive approach."his re(ui res fores ight to anticipate new types of threats anda willingness to take decisive preventiv e action and to bear the costs 'moral and economic( of such acti ons. We cannot necessarily rely on the institutions, moral norms, social attitudes or national security policies that developed from our e!perience with managing other sorts of risks. 8!iste ntial risks are a different kind of beast. We might find it hard to take them as seriously as we shouldsimply because we have neveryet witnessed such disasters.-9/:ur collective fear&response is likely ill calibrated to the magnitude of threat. Reductions in existential risks are global public goods-;0/ and may therefore be undersupplied by the market -;3/. 8!istential risks a re a menace for everybody and may require acting on the international plane. 2espect for national sovereignty is not a legitimate e!cuse for failing to take countermeasures against a maor e!istential risk. $f we take into account the welfare of future generations) the harm done by existential risks is multipliedby another factor, the sie of which depends o n whether and how mu ch we discount future benefits -;9,;</. In view of its undeniable importance, it is surprising how little systematic work has been done in this area. 5art of the e!planation may be that many of the gravest risks stem'as we shall see( fromanticipated futuretechnologies that we have onlyrecently begun to understand. "nother part of the e!planation may be the unavoidably interdisciplinary and speculative nature of the subect. "nd in part the neglect may also be attributable to an aversion against thinking seriously about a depressing topic. "he point, however, is not to wallow ingloom and doom butsimply to take a sober look at what could go wrong so we can create responsible strategies for improving our chances of survival.In order to do that, we need to know where to focus our e fforts.
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no coping mechanisms, no experience, no trial-and-error, future
generations- Outweighs structural violence
Bostrom 2 (Nick Professor of Philosophy and Global Studies at Yale..
www.transhumanist.com/volume9/risks.html.)JFS
Risks in this sixth category are a recent phenomenon . This is part of the reason why it is useful to distinguish them
from other risks. We have not evolved mechanisms, either biologically or culturally, for managing such risks. Our intuitions and coping strategies have been shaped by our long experience with risks such as dangerous animals,
hostile individuals or tribes, poisonous foods, automobile accidents, Chernobyl, Bhopal, volcano eruptions, earthquakes, draughts, World
War I, World War II, epidemics of influena, smallpo!, black plague, and "I#$. These types of disasters have occurred many times and
our cultural attitudes towards risk have been shaped by trialanderror in managing such haards. But tragic as such events are to
the people immediately affected, in the big picture of things % from the perspective of humankind as a whole ! even
the worst of these catastrophes are mere ripples on the surface of the great sea of life. "hey haven#t significantly
affected the total amount of human suffering or happiness or determined the longterm fate of our species. With the
e!ception of a species&destroying comet or asteroid impact 'an e!tremely rare occurrence(, there were probably no significant e!istential
risks in human history until the mid&twentieth century, and certainly none that it was within our power to do something about. "he
first manmade existential risk was the inaugural detonation of an atomic bomb. "t the time, there was some concern that
the e!plosion might start a runaway chain&reaction by )igniting* the atmosphere. "lthough we now know that such an outcome was
physically impossible, it qualifies as an e!istential risk that was present at the time. +or there to be a risk, given the knowledge andunderstanding available, it suffices that there is some subective probability of an adverse outcome, even if it later turns out that
obectively there was no chance of something bad happening. $f we don#t know whether something is obectively risky or
not, then it is risky in the subective sense. The subective sense is of course what we must base our decisions on.-/"t any given
time we must use our best current subective estimate of what the obective risk factors are.-0/" much greater e!istential risk
emerged with the build&up of nuclear arsenals in the 1$ and the 1$$2. "n all&out nuclear war was a possibility with both a substantial
probability and with consequences that mighthave been persistent enough to qualify as global and terminal. There was a real worry
among those best acquainted with the information available at the time that a nuclear "rmageddon would occur and that it might
annihilate our species or permanently destroy human civiliation.-3/ 2ussia and the 1$ retain large nuclear arsenals that could be used
in a future confrontation, either accidentally or deliberately. There is also a risk that other states may one day build up large nucleararsenals. 4ote however that a smaller nuclear e!change, between India and 5akistan for instance, is not an e!istential risk, since it would
not destroy or thwart humankind6s potential permanently. $uch a war might however be a local terminal risk for the cities most likely to
be targeted. 1nfortunately, we shall see that nuclear %rmageddon and comet or asteroid strikes are mere preludes to the
existential risks that we will encounter in the &'st century. The special nature of the challenges posed by e!istential
risks is illustrated by the following points7 Our approach to existential risks cannot b e one of trialan!error. "here is no opportunit# to learn $rom errors . "he reactive approach % see what happens, limit
damages, and learn from e!perience % is unworkable. 2ather, we must take a proactive approach. "his
re(uires foresight to anticipate new types of threats and a willingness to take decisive preventive action and to bear the
costs 'moral and economic( of such actions. We cannot necessarily rely on the institutions, moral norms, social attitudes or nationalsecurity policies that developed from our e!perience with managing other sorts of risks. 8!istential risks are a different kind of beast.
We might find it hard to take them as seriously as we should simply because we have never yet witnessed
such disasters.-9/ :ur collective fear&response is likely ill calibrated to the magnitude of threat. Reductions in existential
risks are global public goods -;0/ and may therefore be undersupplied by the market -;3/. 8!istential risks are a menace for
everybody and may require acting on the international plane. 2espect for national sovereignty is not a legitimate e!cuse for failing to
take countermeasures against a maor e!istential risk. $f we take into account the welfare of future generations) theharm done by existential risks is multiplied by another factor, the sie of which depends on whether and how much we
discount future benefits -;9,;</. In view of its undeniable importance, it is surprising how little systematic work has been done in this
area. 5art of the e!planation may be that many of the gravest risks stem 'as we shall see( from anticipated future technologies that we have only recently begun to understand. "nother part of the e!planation may be the unavoidably
interdisciplinary and speculative nature of the subect. "nd in part the neglect may also be attributable to an aversion against thinking
seriously about a depressing topic. "he point, however, is not to wallow in gloom and doom but simply to take a sober
look at what could go wrong so we can create responsible strategies for improving our chances of
survival. In order to do that, we need to know where to focus our efforts.
0ccor!in+ to the new poll* :S citiBens +uesse! the 8uslim population o$ the :S to be about ,3 percent when aske!7Out o$ ever# ,@@ people* how man# !o #ou think are 8uslimC= "his woul! mean that the :S has -4.- million
8uslims. "he realit# is uite !iDerent* with current research puttin+ the percenta+e o$ 8uslims in the
:nite! States at about . percent o$ the population* with an estimate! 5.E million 8uslims in the
:S as o$ 5@,@. 2ven hi+her estimates n! that there are between ve an! ei+ht million 8uslims in the entire
countr#.
". #$ A&&'(A#') '*#(P(#A#'+* 'S BA, &+( ,BA#
imits are necessary or negative preparation and clash/ and their
interpretation ma0es the topic too big. Permitting minor changes li0e the
plan permits a huge number o cases.
,. # 'S A )+#( because the opportunity to prepare promotes better
debating/ education and airness.
!olitics &'-
O(ama)s top priorit* is securing support for his trade agenda – recent
passage of fast-trac+ greases things forward towards nal approval of !!
corkscrew turnaroun! "ues!a#* as the Senate move! towar! han!in+ him $asttrack
ne+otiatin+ authorit# to wrap work on a sprawlin+ acic Iim pact. "he upper chamber
vote! E@?4 to en! !ebate on the measure* settin+ up a 6e!nes!a# vote on nal passa+e. "hat shoul! be a breeBe
the real test was clearin+ the E@vote hur!le to!a# an! since the 1ouse approve! $asttrack last
week* a$ter balkin+ the week be$ore* the bill coul! lan! on the presi!entHs !esk $or
his si+nature b# the en! o$ the week. "rue to $orm in a !ebate thatHs packe! in !rama at ever# turn*the Senate vote on "ues!a# was a nailbiter. "he chamber initiall# approve! the measure as part o$ a broa!er tra!e
packa+e back in 8a# but with onl# two votes to spare. "hat meant the mar+in $or error hea!in+ into the "ues!a#
vote was narrow. 0n! it became raBorthin earl# "ues!a# when Sen. "e! ruB (I"exas) the "ea art#courtin+
presi!ential conten!er an! an earl# backer o$ the han!in+ Obama the extra ne+otiatin+ room announce! he was
switchin+ si!es an! woul! be opposin+ $asttrack. ruB* in a reitbart ope!* cite! !ealcuttin+ between Iepublicans
an! >emocrats since the SenateHs rst vote in 8a# as sourin+ him on the initiative. ut a $ra+ile a+reement
between on+ressional Iepublican lea!ers an! protra!e >emocrats about the path $orwar! prove!
dura(le enough. 0$ter liberal 1ouse >emocrats earlier this month vote! !own a measure exten!in+
assistance to workers !isplace! b# +lobaliBation a pro+ram the# have tra!itionall# champione! but sunk as a
proce!ural +ambit to !erail ObamaHs tra!e push KO lea!ers !eci!e! to split $asttrack authorit# apart an! put it
up $or a separate vote. "he scheme woul! onl# work i$ Iepublicans convince! protra!e >emocrats that the# woul!
uickl# $ollow the stan!alone $asttrack vote with one on the worker assistance pro+ram* $or which the#H! also rall#
support. Senate 8aGorit# Lea!er 8itch 8connell (IM#.) $urther sweetene! the !eal b# pairin+ the workerassistance with a pro+ram to help 0merican steelmakers compete in international markets an in!ucement $or
Iust elt lawmakers in both parties war# o$ what previous tra!e !eals have wrou+ht. >espite threats $rom a number
o$ the ,- Senate >emocrats who helpe! li$t $ast track to passa+e back in 8a# that the# woul! ip a+ainst a so
calle! clean version* onl# one Sen. en ar!in (>8!.) en!e! up switchin+ si!es on "ues!a#. 0$ter the vote*
Sen. Ion 6#!en (>Ore.)* the lea! >emocratic ne+otiator on tra!e as the rankin+ member on the Senate Finance
panel* emphasiBe! that wor+ remains. 7 "his is not about takin+ a victor# lap*= he tol!
reporters outsi!e the Senate chamber* pointin+ to the nee! to ensure the other elements o$
the tra!e packa+e $ollow $ast track to passa+e. 1i+hli+htin+ the schism that the tra!e !ebate has
opene! within >emocratic ranks* Gust steps awa#* a +lumlookin+ Senate 8inorit# Lea!er 1arr# Iei! (>Nev.)
expresse! his !isappointment. 7< still hate the whole pro+ram*= Iei! sai!. 7<Hve never vote! $or a tra!e !eal* an! <
never consi!ere! votin+ $or this one.= Securin+ $ast track does not guarantee passage of
the deal itself * which links twelve acic Iim nations comprisin+ -@ percent o$ +lobal economic activit#.
ut the authorit# woul! allow Obama to sen! his team o$ tra!e envo#s back to the
ne+otiatin+ table with the assurance that whatever nal !eal the# hammer out will
+et a simple up-or-down vote in Congress a proce!ural streamlinin+ that the
a!ministration views as critical to extractin+ the most $avorable terms $rom their
counterparts. Obama views the !eal as the cornerstone o$ his secon!term a+en!a*
an! it has spawne! rare common cause between his 6hite 1ouse an! the corporate communit#* which has been
marshalin+ a+ainst stiD an! sustaine! opposition $rom labor an! environmental +roups to muscle $ast track over the
line.
O(ama supports current surveillance of /uslims- he ght to
presidential commitment to discuss widespread and controversial
surveillance of their communities he* left feeling the* had O(amas
interest, (ut not much more. Less than a week a$ter the <ntercept* base! on !ocuments leake! b#
2!war! Snow!en* showe! :S /uslim activists and attorne*s had (een targeted for
surveillance, Obama +athere! le+islators* !iplomats an! :S 8uslim communit# lea!ers to the 6hite 1ouse
on 8on!a# ni+ht $or an <$tar !inner* the sunset meal !urin+ Iama!an. <n remarks release! b# the 6hite 1ouse*O(ama stressed the value of pluralism, sidestepping the surveillance
controvers* Not ever*one was satised with the omission Some o$ the people
who atten!e! were si+natories o$ a letter sent to the 6hite 1ouse in the wake o$ the <ntercept stor# ur+entl#
reuestin+ a meetin+ with Obama. 6ithout that commitment #et in han!* took the opportunit# to raise the issue
with Obama personall# at the 8on!a# !inner. &3 specicall* as+ed the president if he
would meet with us to discuss N4' sp*ing on the 'merican /uslim
communit* he president seeme! to perk up an! procee!e! to !iscuss the issue* sa#in+ that he
takes it ver# seriousl#*& sai! Junai! Sulahr#* the outreach mana+er $or 8uslim 0!vocates* a le+al an! civil ri+hts
+roup. Obama was non-committal , Sulahr# sai!* but !ispla#e! &a clear willin+ness to !iscuss the
issue.& 1o!a 2lshishtaw#* the national polic# anal#st $or the 8uslim ublic 0Dairs ouncil* sai! that she brou+ht it
up as part o$ a &tablewi!e !iscussion& on post9/,, surveillance o$ :S 8uslims. &Our communities can%t be seen as
suspects an! partners at the same time*& 2lshishtaw# sai!. "hat tension has plagued the O(amaadministrations domestic counterterrorism – or* as it pre$ers* &counterin+ violent
extremism& P $or its entire tenure. "he !epartments o$ Gustice an! homelan! securit# lea! outreach eDorts in 8uslim
an! other local communities* stressin+ vi+ilance a+ainst ra!icaliBin+ inuences an! !ialo+ue with law en$orcement.
Yet /uslim communities la(or under widespread suspicion of incu(ating
terrorism 4urveillance from law enforcement and 54 intelligence is
ro(ust, from the harvesting of digital communications to the recruitment
of informants inside mos6ues he 7ederal Bureau of 3nvestigation
compiles maps of /uslim (usinesses and religious institutions, without
suspicion of specic crimes he mixed message comes amidst the freight
of a foreign polic* featuring drone stri+es in /uslim countries, a
reluctance to foreclose on indenite detention that functionall* is onl*aimed at /uslims, and di8cult* concluding the war in 'fghanistan P all o$
which have straine! relations with 0merican8uslim communities.
!olitical capital +e* to !! – empirics prove
/iller and 9oodman 1. QScott* senior a!viser an! hol!s the 6illiam 8. Scholl
hair in <nternational usiness at S<S* 8atthew* 6illiam 2. Simon hair in olitical
2conom# at S<S* &onclu!e the "ransacic artnership& S<S Januar#
Lea!er 8itch 8connell (IMY) an! Speaker John oehner (IO1) ma!e it clear thatT tra!e
a+reements like " were an area o$ potential cooperation with the presi!ent.T >urin+
resi!ent ObamaHs rst term* the implementin+ bills $or $reetra!e a+reementsT (F"0s) with olombia* anama* an!
South Morea passe! the Iepublicancontrolle!T 1ouse b# com$ortable mar+ins* with over 5@@ Iepublicans an! ?@P
E@ >emocratsT votin+ in $avor. "his 5@,, success +ave " talks momentum* with ana!a* 8exico*T an! Japan
!eci!in+ to Goin the talks shortl# a$ter the F"0s passe!. Aotin+ patterns in!icate that tra!e polic# remains an issue
that !ivi!es >emocrats an!T unites Iepublicans. "he presi!ent must activel# mana+e his part#Hspolitics whileT cooperatin+ with Iepublican maGorities in on+ress who will provi!e
the maGorit# o$ T the votes. <tHs never eas# to a!vance an issue that !ivi!es #our usual allies an! unitesT
#our usual opponents* but there is no alternative scenario. <n short* the next step (elongs to the
president. 1e must en+a+e the public on theT issue* un!erscorin+ its importance to the econom# an!* more
broa!l#* the :.S. role inT the worl!. 0n! he must mana+e the !elicate relations with on+ress*
navi+atin+ pastT areas o$ conict to $orm a dura(le (ase of support $or his
a+reements. resi!entialT lea!ership will resonate in other capitals * especiall# "ok#o*
where tra!in+ partnersT are lookin+ $or evi!ence o$ an a!euate political consensus
in the :nite! States.
!! solidies 54 leadership in 'sia – solves regional sta(ilit*8ichele 7lourno** hie$ 2xecutive* enter $or a New 0merican Securit# an!
to humanitarian assistance an! !isaster relie$. "he " also represents an unprece!ente! opportunit#
an! one that ma# not return $or !eca!esto establish wi!esprea! tra!e rules in 0sia that a!vance:.S. values an! interests. "he a+reement woul! lock in stron+er labor an! environmental protections* while establishin+ new
rules on intellectual propert# ri+hts an! curbin+ un$air +overnment subsi!ies to stateowne! enterprises. 2nsurin+ that countries like
Japan* 8ala#sia an! Aietnam elevate their practices to meet these hi+her stan!ar!s woul! #iel! economic an! social re$orms that
the :.S. has lon+ sou+ht to a!vance in 0sia. "his wave o$ re$orm woul! continue as other countries line up to Goin the pact in $uture
roun!s. ritics o$ $ree tra!e in +eneral* an! the " in particular* claim these stan!ar!s !on%t +o $ar enou+h. erhaps* but the per$ect
shoul! not be the enem# o$ the +oo!. Kiven the painstakin+ ne+otiations an! the !iversit# o$ countries involve!* !isruptin+
the !eal now woul! likel# lea! to no !eal at all. <n that event the lea!ership vacuum le$t b#
the :.S. woul! 6uic+l* (e lled (* other powers* most likel# hina* which woul! be more than
happ# to set laxer rules an! lower stan!ar!s $or +lobal tra!e. 1ow woul! the :.S. benet $rom such a race to the bottomC "he +oo!
news is that this contest is ashington)s to lose . olls show that more than twothir!s o$ 0mericans
support increase! tra!e ties overseas* an! there remains a stron+ bipartisan consensus $or :.S. en+a+ement in 0sia. Now it is up
to lawmakers on apitol 1ill to ensure that the :.S. reaps the national securit#win!$all o$ the ". "o $ail woul! be a historic strategic foll*.
'uthoritarianism &'-
<estrictions on the domestic surveillances of specic races and
ethnicit* (olsters civil li(erties
C*ril 2$1. (8alkia 0mala* un!er an! executive !irector o$ the enter $or 8e!ia
8uslims not suspecte! o$ an# crime. "here is no national securit# reason to prole
all 8uslims. 0t the same time* almost -3@*@@@ mi+rants are in !etention $acilities throu+hout the :nite! States* inclu!in+
survivors o$ torture* as#lum seekers* $amilies with small chil!ren* an! the el!erl#. :n!ocumente! mi+rant
communities enGo# $ew le+al protections* an! are there$ore subGect to brutal policin+practices* inclu!in+ ille+al surveillance practices. 0ccor!in+ to the Sentencin+ roGect* o$ the more than
5 million people incarcerate! in the :nite! States* more than E@ percent are racial an! ethnic minorities. ut b# $ar* the wi!est net is
cast over black communities. lack people alone represent -@ percent o$ those incarcerate!. 8ore black men are incarcerate! than
were hel! in slaver# in ,3@* on the eve o$ the ivil 6ar. Lest some misinterpret that statistic as
evi!ence o$ +reater criminalit#* a 5@,5 stu!# conrms that black !e$en!ants are at
least ?@ percent more likel# to be imprisone! than whites $or the same crime. "his is
not a broken s#stem* it is a s#stem workin+ per$ectl# as inten!e!* to the !etriment o$ all. "he N4' could not have
spied on millions of cellphones if it were not alread* sp*ing on (lac+
people, /uslims, and migrants 0s surveillance technolo+ies are increasin+l# a!opte! an! inte+rate! b# law
en$orcement a+encies to!a#* racial !isparities are bein+ ma!e invisible b# a me!ia environment that has $aile! to tell the stor# o$
surveillance in the context o$ structural racism.
he ecological crunch is coming---overwhelming scientic evidence provesan impending environmental crisis ris+s extinction
4hearman 4mith $=
(>avi! Shearman W Joseph 6a#ne Smith* 8>' ro$essor at :niversit# o$ 0!elai!*
0u+ust ?@* h> an! solicitor o$ the Supreme ourt o$ South 0ustralia * "he limate
han+e hallen+e an! the Failure o$ >emocrac#* a+es -E* 8X)
"his impen!in+ crisisis cause! b# the acceleratin+ !ama+e to the natural
environment on which humans !epen! $or their survival. "his is not to !en# that there are other
means that ma# brin+ catastrophe upon the earth. John Kra# $or example3 ar+ues that !estructive war is inevitable as nations
become locke! into the stru++le $or !iminishin+ resources. <n!ee!* Kra# believes that war is cause! b# the same instinctual
behavior that we !iscuss in relation to environmental !estruction. Kra# re+ar!s population increases* environmental !e+ra!ation*
an! misuse o$ technolo+# as part o$ the inevitabilit# o$ war. 6ar ma# be inevitable but it isunpre!ictable
in time an! place* whereas environmental !e+ra!ation isrelentless an! has
pro+ressivel# receive! increasin+ scientic evi!ence. 1umanit# has a recor! o$
!oomsa#ers* most invariabl# wron+* which has brou+ht a Gustiable immunit# to
their utterances. 6arnin+s were present in "he "ales o$ Ovi! an! in the Ol! an! New "estaments o$ the ible*
an! in more recent times some o$ the pre!ictions $rom "homas 8althus an! $rom the lub o$ Iome in
,945* to+ether with the 7population bomb= o$ aul 2hrlich* have not eventuate!. "he
$reuent apocal#ptic pre!ictions $rom the environmental movement are unpopular an!
have been vi+orousl# attacke!. So it must be aske!* what is !iDerent about the present
warnin+s C 0s one example* when Sir >avi! Min+* chie$ scientist o$ the :M +overnment* states that 7in m# view* climate chan+e
is the most severe problem that we are $acin+ to!a#* more serious than the threat o$ terrorism*=E how is this an! other recent
statements !iDerent $rom previous !iscre!ite! pro+nosticationsC Firstl#* the# are base! on themost !etaile!
an! compellin+ science pro!uce! with the same scientic ri+or that has seen
humans travel to the moon an! create worl!wi!e communication s#stems. Secon!l#*
this science embraces aran+e o$ !isciplines o$ ecolo+#* epi!emiolo+#* climatolo+#*
marine an! $resh water science* a+ricultural science* an! man# more* all o$ which
a+ree on the nature an! severit# o$ the problems. "hir!l#* there isvirtualunanimit#o$thousan!s o$ scientistson the +rave nature o$ these problems. Onl# a han!$ul
o$ skeptics remain. >urin+ the past !eca!e man# !istin+uishe! scientists* inclu!in+ numerous Nobel Laureates* have warne! that
humanit# has perhaps one or two +enerations to act to avoi! +lobal ecolo+ical
catastrophe. 0s but one example o$ this multi!imensional problem* the <nter+overnmental anel on limate han+e (<)
has warne! that +lobal warmin+ cause! b# $ossil $uel consumption ma# be acceleratin+.4 Yet climate chan+e is but
one o$ a host o$ interrelate! environmental problems thatthreaten humanit#. "he authors
have seen the veils $all $rom the e#es o$ man# scientists when the# examine all the scientic literature. "he# become a!vocates $or
a $un!amental chan+e in societ#. "he $reuent prou! statements on economic +rowth b# treasurers an! chancellors o$ the
excheuer instill in man# scientists an imme!iate sense o$ !an+er* $or humanit# has move! one step closer to
!oom. Science un!erpins the success o$ our technolo+ical an! com$ortable societ#. 6ho are the thousan!s o$ scientists who issue
the warnin+s we choose to i+noreC <n ,995 the Io#al Societ# o$ Lon!on an! the :.S. National 0ca!em# o$ Sciences issue! a Goint
statement* opulation Krowth* Iesource onsumption an! a Sustainable 6orl!* pointin+ out that the environmental chan+es
aDectin+ the planet ma# irreversibl# !ama+e the earthHs capacit# to maintain li$e an! that humanit#Hs own eDorts to achieve
satis$actor# livin+ con!itions were threatene! b# environmental !eterioration. Since ,995 man# more statements b# worl! scientic
or+aniBations have been issue!.9 "hese substantiate! that most environmental s#stems are suDerin+$rom critical stress an! that the !evelope! countries are the main culprits. <t was necessar# to make a transition to
economies that provi!e increase! human wel$are an! less consumption o$ ener+# an! materials. <t seems
inconceivable that the consensus view o$ all these scientists coul! be wron+. "here have
been numerous international con$erences o$ +overnments* in!ustr# +roups* an! environmental +roups to !iscuss the problems an!
!evelop strate+#* #et wi!esprea! !eterioration o$ the environment accelerates. 6hat is the evi!enceC "he Kui!e to 6orl!
Iesources* 5@@@ P5@@,; eople an! 2cos#stems* "he Fra#in+ 6eb o$ Li$e,@ was a Goint report o$ the :nite! Nations >evelopment
ro+ram* the :nite! Nations 2nvironment ro+ram* the 6orl! ank* an! the 6orl! Iesources <nstitute. "he state o$ the
worl!Hs a+ricultural* coastal $orest* $reshwater* an! +rasslan! ecos#stems were
anal#Be! usin+ 5? criteria such as $oo! pro!uction* water uantit#* an! bio!iversit#. 2i+hteen o$ the
criteria were !ecreasin+* an! one ha! increase! (ber pro!uction* because o$ the !estruction o$ $orests). "he report
car! on the remainin+ $our criteria was mixe! or there was insuUcient !ata to make a Gu!+ment. <n 5@@3* "he 8illennium 2cos#stem
0ssessment S#nthesis Ieport b# ,*?E@ scientic experts $rom 93 countries was release!.,, <t state! that approximatel# E@
percent o$ the ecos#stem services that support li$e on earthsuch as $resh water*
sheries* an! the re+ulation o$ air* water* an! climateare bein+ !e+ra!e! or use!
unsustainabl#. 0s a result the 8illennium Koals a+ree! to b# the :N in 5@@@ $or a!!ressin+ povert# an! hun+er will not be
met an! human wellbein+ will be seriousl# aDecte!.
his means a transition to environmental authoritarianism)s comingnow---solves extinction
Beeson 1$ (8ark* ro$essor o$ <nternational olitics at 8ur!och :niversit# in
"he environment has become the !enin+ public polic# issue o$ the era. Not onl# will political responses to
environmental challen+es !etermine the health o$ the planet* but continuin+
environmental !e+ra!ation ma# also aDect political s#stems. "his interaction is likel# to be
especiall# acute in parts o$ the worl! where environmental problems are most pressin+ an! the state%s abilit# to respon! to such
challen+es is weakest. One possible conseuence o$ environmental !e+ra!ation is the
!evelopment or consoli!ation o$ authoritarian rule as political elites come to
privile+e re+ime maintenance an! internal stabilit# over political liberalisation. 2ven
eDorts to miti+ate the impact o$ * or respon! to* environmental chan+e ma# involve a
!ecrease in in!ivi!ual libert# as +overnments seek to trans$orm environmentall# !estructive behaviour. 0s a result*
environmental authoritarianismH ma# become an increasin+l# common response to
the !estructive impacts o$ climate chan+e in an a+e o$ !iminishe! expectations.
he transition is onl* possi(le in a world with limited rights – the1'C is founded on a philosoph* of a(undance that is incompati(lewith environmental survival
(8athew 1umphre# 4* Iea!er in olitical hilosoph# at the :niversit# o$ Nottin+ham* :M*
5@@4* 2colo+ical olitics an! >emocratic "heor#; "he hallen+e to the >eliberative <!eal* p.
5@5,//ume$)
<$ these chan+es are necessar# the !own+ra!in+ * curtailment an! reconceptualisation
o$ !emocrac#* liberties* an! Gustice* as well as the raisin+ to primac# o$ inte+rit# an!
ecolo+ical virtue how are the necessar# chan+es to come aboutC Aalue chan+e
represents the best%lon+term% hope but the ecolo+ical crisis is not a %lon+term%
problem. "hese chan+es have to be intro!uce! 6uic+l* an! be$ore there has been time
to inculcate value shi$ts in the population. "he !own+ra!in+ o$ ri+hts an! liberties has
to (e achieved through polic* an! institutional chan+e* even while the uestion o$ a lon+term chan+e
o$ values is also a!!resse!. For both these tasks what is reuire! ispolitical lea!ership an! the institution
o$ the state. "he imme!iate problem lies in the collective action problem that arises in respect o$ the loomin+ ecolo+ical constraints on economic
activit# an! the potential collapse o$ the +lobal commons. "he en! o$ the %+ol!en a+e% o$ material abun!ance* as we sli!e back !own the other si!e o$
%1ubbert%s pimpleH will brin+ about intense competition $or scarce resources. "o un!erstan! politics un!er these circumstances* we have to turn back to
1obbes an! urke* the political philosophers who conceptualise! li$e un!er con!itions o$ scarcit#* an! also to lato* commen!e! $or his health# mistrust o$
!emocrac#. For Ophuls a crucial element o$ political philosoph# is the !enition o$ realit# itsel$' political philosoph# carries
within it an ontolo+ical component which sets out the $oun!ations o$ politicalpossibilit#. "he contemporar# 6est he sees as !ene! b# the %philosophers o$ the +reat
$rontier% Locke* Smith* an! 8arx. "hese are thepolitical philosophers o$ abun!ance. For
Locke the proviso o$ alwa#s leavin+ %as much an! as +oo!% $or others in appropriation coul! alwa#s be met even when there was no unappropriate! lan!
le$t* as the pro!uctivit# o$ the lan! put to use$ul work woul! alwa#s create better opportunities $or those comin+ later. Smiths %invisible han!% thesis was
also !epen!ent upon the assumption that the material +oo!s woul! alwa#s be available $or in!ivi!ual to accomplish their own economic plans. For
8arx the %hi+her phase% o$ communist societ# arrives %a$ter the pro!uctive $orces
have ... increase! with the allroun! !evelopment o$ the in!ivi!ual * an! all the
sprin+s o$ cooperative wealth ow more abun!antl#% (8arx* ,94@; ,9). For Ophulsthese are all the
political philosophies o$ abun!ance. 2colo+ical crisis* however* returns us to the
1obbesian stru++le o$ all a+ainst all (1eilbroner* ,94-; 9). 6ith ecolo+ical scarcit# we return to the classical problems o$
political theor# that -@@ #ears o$ abnormal abun!ance has shiel!e! us $rom (Ophuls* ,944; ,E-). oth liberalism an!
socialismrepresent the politics o$ this %abnormal abun!ance% an! with the !emise o$
this perio! we return to the eternal problems o$ politics. 1obbes* then* is seen as the political philosopher o$
ecolo+ical scarcit# avant la lettre. %1ar!in%s &lo+ic o$ the commons& is simpl# a special version o$ the +eneral political !#namic o$ 1obbes% &state o$ nature&%
(Ophuls* ,944' ,-). ompetition over scarce resources lea!s to conict* even when all those
involve! realise that the# woul! be collectivel# better oD i$ the# coul! cooperate* %to
brin+ about the tra+e!# o$ the commons it is not necessar# that men be ba!* onl# that the# not be activel# +oo!% (Ophuls* ,944; ,-9). <t is this 1obbesian
stru++le that ma# impose %intolerable strains on the representative political apparatus that has been historicall# associate! with capitalist societies%
(1eilbroner* ,94-; 9). oercion is seen as the solution (an! it is hope!* althou+h as we have seen not $or terribl# +oo! reasons*
that this coercion can be a+ree! !emocraticall#)* an! the appropriate a+ent o$ this solution is the state.
"he transition $rom abun!ance to scarcit# will have to be centralise! an! expert
controlle!* an! it is unlikel# that %a stea!# state polit# coul! be !emocratic% (Ophuls* ,944;
,E5). 0s we shall see in the $ollowin+ para+raphs* this $aith in the abilit# o$ the state to institute centralise! controls that woul! be obe#e! b# its citiBens is
one o$ the areas that has attracte! erce criticism $rom contemporar# +reen political theorists.
Case-
4olvenc*-
ons of alt causes that cause the same impact- no 4olvenc*
the license plate numbers o$ worshippers atten!in+ services. Iemotel# controlle!NY> cameras have also been place! on li+ht poles* aime! at mosues. !olice
3nformants; "he NY> has recruite! socalle! 7mosue crawlers*= to act as insi!e
observers in mosues. "he# report on sermons* provi!e names o$ atten!ees* an!
take pictures insi!e o$ the mosues. 2mplo#in+ a metho! calle! 7create an!
capture*= the NY> has instructe! in$ormants to 7create= conversations about Giha!
or terrorism an! 7capture= an! report the responses to the police. <n$ormants are
o$ten selecte! $rom a pool o$ arrestees* prisoners* or suspects who are pressure!
into becomin+ in$ormants. !olice <a+ers=; "eams o$ NY> plainclothes oUcers
calle! 7rakers=have been !eplo#e! to 8uslim communities where the# can blen!
in 7consistent with their ethnicit# an! or lan+ua+e.= "he# aim to compile
in$ormation on the communit#* listen in on conversations at 8uslim restaurants an!
perceptions o$ ever#!a# 0mericans but also pointe! to !eeper an! more
intractable $orms o$ racial ineualit# than we o$ten like to acknowle!+e.
"he poll $oun! that 5 out o$ ,@ blacks an! 1ispanics $elt un$airl# treate! b#
the police over the past ?@ !a#s. "his is virtuall# the same n!in+ $rom the
earl# 5@@@s where black 0mericans $elt euall# vulnerable to policemiscon!uct (there is no !ata on what 1ispanics woul! have sai! in 5@@@s). "he poll also showe!
that in ,@ blacks an! 5 in ? 1ispanics a+ree that the criminal Gustice
s#stem $avors whites.
Kiven the racial ineualit# across the criminal Gustice s#stem $rom arrests to char+in+ to sentencin+ to !eath
penalt# application this is har!l# surprisin+.
2ven 3 in ,@ white 0mericans acknowle!+e! the racial imbalance o$ our s#stem.
4tate-centric curtailment will inevita(l* failcircumvention,
increase in suppression, and extension of power
4chriefer, 1$a!vocac# !irector at Free!om 1ouse an! contributor to New York
"imes (aula* ,,/9/,@* &"he 6ron+ 6a# to ombat %<slamophobia%&* New York "imes*
"his week* member states o$ the :nite! Nations will vote on what has become an annual resolution* 7On ombatin+
>e$amation o$ Ieli+ions*= put $orwar! b# the Or+aniBation o$ the <slamic on$erence* a +roup o$ 34 states with lar+e
<slamic populations. "he resolution con!emns what it calls 7!e$amation o$ reli+ions= a va+ue notion that can
perhaps best be !escribe! as a $orm o$ expression that oDen!s anotherHs reli+ious sensibilities an! ur+es
countries to enact laws that prohibit such $orms o$ expression. "he resolutions are part o$ a lar+er an! !an+erouscampai+n to create a +lobal blasphem# law to combat what 8uslim lea!ers re$er to
as 7<slamophobia.= Such a campai+n is deepl* :awed from a human rights
perspective * both in its euation o$ reli+ious !iscrimination (a le+itimate human ri+hts
violation) with the va+ue concept o$ !e$amation* as well as in the propose! reme!# o$
imposin+ le+al limits on $ree!om o$ expression. 0 recent Free!om 1ouse report lookin+ at
blasphem# laws in seven countries !ocuments the ne+ative impact o$ such laws on a ran+e o$ $un!amental human
ri+hts* while notin+ how such laws actuall# contribute to +reater inter$aith stri$e an! conict. ecause no one can
a+ree on what constitutes blasphem#* laws that attempt to (an it are themselves vague*
hi+hl# prone to ar(itrar* enforcement an! are use! to stie ever#thin+ $rom
political opposition to reli+ious inuir#. articularl# when applie! in countries with
weak !emocratic sa$e+uar!s e.+.* stron+ executives* subservient Gu!iciaries*corrupt law en$orcement blasphem# laws !o nothin+ to achieve their suppose! +oals o$
promotin+ reli+ious tolerance an! harmon# an! instea! are disproportionall*
use! to suppress the freedom o$ reli+ious minorities or members o$ the maGorit# reli+ion that
hol! views consi!ere! unortho!ox. <n akistan* $or example* hristians an! 0hma!i##a (8uslims who !o not believe
8uhamma! was the nal prophet) make up onl# 5 percent o$ the population* but have been the tar+et o$ nearl# hal$
o$ the more than 9@@ prosecutions $or blasphem# in the past two !eca!es. "he remainin+ prosecutions have been
ma!e a+ainst 8uslims themselves* o$ten simpl# as an eas# wa# to settle personal scores that have nothin+ to !o
with reli+ion. 8ere accusations o$ blasphem# have le! to mob violence in which people have been maime! or kille!
an! whole communities !evastate!. "he +overnments o$ countries that alrea!# have such problematic laws on the
books are precisel# those countries lea!in+ the char+e to create an international blasphem# law throu+h the :nite!
Nations. "he motivations o$ states like 2+#pt* akistan an! Sau!i 0rabia countries with appallin+ recor!s on
reli+ious $ree!om an! broa!er human ri+hts are unuestionabl# h#pocritical an! have more to !o with their
!esire to score points with unhapp# !omestic populations an! reli+ious extremists than the !esire to $oster reli+ious
tolerance. Support $or blasphem# laws is hi+h amon+ the +eneral public in the <slamic worl!. 2ven the staunchest
a!vocates o$ human ri+hts in the 8i!!le 2ast* in!ivi!uals who are openl# critical o$ their corrupt an! authoritarian
lea!ers* balk at the i!ea that the publication o$ the >anish cartoons or the burnin+ o$ a Moran shoul! be protecte!$orms o$ $ree!om o$ expression. <n a part o$ the worl! where oneHs reli+ion is as ke# to oneHs i!entit# as nationalit#
an! race* most people simpl# view such $orms o$ expression as a bi+ote! attack on their ver# existence. Such views
are bolstere! b# the nee! to better a!!ress the real issues o$ !iscrimination an! violence a+ainst in!ivi!uals
because o$ their reli+ious belie$s* even in establishe! !emocracies. <t is a $act that political parties
espousin+ xenophobic an! anti<slamic views in 2urope have +aine! in both
popularit# an! representation* an! that le+al policies have been enacte! that most
human ri+hts or+aniBations ri+htl# see as restrictin+ the $un!amental ri+hts o$ 8uslims to practice
their reli+ious belie$s. <t is also a $act that man# o$ the same people who !e$en!e! the >anish cartoons as an
important $orm o$ $ree expression somehow $eel per$ectl# Gustie! in criticiBin+ the plans to buil! an <slamic enter
near the site o$ the 6orl! "ra!e enter because it oDen!s them. Yet h#pocris# in 2urope an! the
:nite! States !oes not Gusti$# attempts to brin+ governmental oversight into
what constitutes oDensive expression. 2ven with the best intentions* which are o$ten
lackin+* +overnments shoul! never (e in the (usiness of policing speech . "he tools
o$ !e$eatin+ intolerance* inclu!in+ reli+ious intolerance* start with a le+islative environment that protects peopleHs
$un!amental political ri+hts an! civil liberties* inclu!in+ $ree!om o$ expression. lasphem# laws !onHt work in an#
context an! :.N. member states shoul! reGect them uncon!itionall#
Extensions
!olitics &'-
<egional 3nsta(ilit* 3n 'sia goes Nuclear
Camp(ell D (Murt 8* 0ssistant Secretar# o$ State $or 2ast 0sian an! acic 0Dairs* >r. ampbell serve! in several
capacities in +overnment* inclu!in+ as >eput# 0ssistant Secretar# o$ >e$ense $or 0sia an! the acic* >irector on theNational
Securit# ouncil StaD* previousl# the hie$ 2xecutive OUcer an! co$oun!er o$ the enter $or a New 0merican Securit# (N0S)*
serve! as >irector o$ the 0spen Strate+# Kroup an! the hairman o$ the 2!itorial oar! o$ the 6ashin+ton \uarterl#* an! was the
$oun!er an! rincipal o$ Strat0sia* a strate+ic a!visor# compan# $ocuse! on 0sia* rior to co$oun!in+ N0S* he serve! as Senior Aice
resi!ent* >irector o$ the <nternational Securit# ro+ram* an! the 1enr# 0. Missin+er hair in National Securit# olic# at the enter
$or Strate+ic an! <nternational Stu!ies* !octorate in <nternational Ielation "heor# $rom Ox$or!* $ormer associate pro$essor o$ public
polic# an! international relations at the John F. Menne!# School o$ Kovernment an! 0ssistant >irector o$ the enter $or Science an!
<nternational 0Dairs at 1arvar! :niversit#* member o$ ouncil on Forei+n Ielations an! <nternational <nstitute $or Strate+ic Stu!ies*
+reen tech. Investing: 0sian nations are !evelopin+ in$rastructure an! human capital at unprece!ente! rates. ut
the continent remains pla+ue! b#; <nsecurit#; Kreatpower rivalr# is alive in 0sia. 8assive
militar# investments alon+ with historic suspicions an! contemporar# territorial an! other
conicts make war in 0sia plausible. <nstabilit#; From environmental !e+ra!ation to violent extremism to
traUckin+ in !ru+s* people* an! weapons* 0sian nations have much to worr# about. <neualit#; 6ithin nations an!
between them* ineualit# in 0sia is more stark than an#where else in the worl!. <mpoverishe! minorities in
countries like <n!ia an! hina* an! the +ap in +overnance an! capacit# within countries* whether as backwar! asurma or as a!vance! as Sin+apore* present uniue challen+es. 0 tra!itional approach to 0sia will not suUce i$ the
:nite! States is to both protect 0merican interests an! help i0sia realiBe its potential an! avoi! pit$alls. business
an! the hinese +overnment* alon+ with other 0sian nancial pla#ers* inGecte! billions in capital to help stea!# :.S.
investment banks such as 8errill L#nch as the 0merican subprime mort+a+e collapse un$ol!e!. hinese investment
$un!s re+ional in!ustrialiBation* which in turn creates new markets $or +lobal pro!ucts. 0sia now accounts $or over
-@ percent o$ +lobal consumption o$ steel - an! hina is consumin+ almost hal$ o$ worl!Hs available concrete. 3
Natural resources $rom so# to copper to oil are bein+ use! b# hina an! <n!ia at astonishin+ rates* !rivin+ up
commo!it# prices an! settin+ oD alarm bells in 6ashin+ton an! other 6estern capitals. Yet 0sia is not a
theater at peace . On avera+e* between ,3 an! 3@ people !ie ever# !a# $rom causes tie! to conict* an!
suspicions roote! in rivalr# an! nationalism run !eep. "he continent harbors ever# tra!itional an!
nontra!itional challen+e o$ our a+e; it is a caul!ron o$ reli+ious an! ethnic tension' a source o$ terror an!
extremism' an acceleratin+ !river o$ the insatiable +lobal appetite $or ener+#' the place where the most people will
suDer the a!verse eDects o$ +lobal climate chan+e' the primar# source o$ nuclear proli$eration' an! the most
li+el* theater on 2arth $or a maGor conventional con$rontation an! even a nuclear conic t. oexistin+
with the optimism o$ i0sia are the in+re!ients $or internal stri$e* nontra!itional threats like terrorism*
an! tra!itional interstate conict* which are all magnied (* the ris+ of miscalculation
or poor !ecisionmakin+.
O(ama will ght the plan- <ecent meeting proves he supports
to those in the 8uslim communit# who have been victims o$ :.S. civilri+hts an!
humanri+hts abuses *= 0bu 0li wrote. 7<t is an attempt b# a!ministration a$ter
a!ministration to whitewash the crimes o$ the :.S. +overnment a+ainst 8uslims b#
paintin+ a lessthanaccurate picture o$ their relationship with the 0merican 8uslim
communit#.= 0s establishe! 8uslim0merican lea!ers like Laila 0l8ara#ati line! up to bo#cott (0l8ara#ati reGecte! an
invitation to the State >epartmentHs <$tar)* others !e$en!e! their presence at the ceremon#. 8ost vocal amon+ them was Iep. Meith2llison (>8N)* one o$ the two 8uslim members o$ on+ress. 7< !isa+ree with the tactic*= 2llison remarke! in a statement release!
b# his oUce. 7<t will not close Kuantanamo a#* +uarantee a ceasere between <srael an! alestine or un!o the NS0Hs tar+etin+ o$
8uslims.= "he 8uslim ublic 0Dairs ouncil (80) echoe! 2llison* insistin+ that the event woul! 7allow Qthem to en+a+e with
senior 6hite 1ouse oUcials $or a !ecent amount o$ time on substantive issues.= 6hile 8uslim0merican civil ri+hts +roups like the
ouncil on 0merican <slamic Ielations have assume! a more con$rontational posture towar!s the 6hite 1ouse an! bo#cotte! a
pra#er break$ast with $ormer New York it# 8a#or 8ichael loomber+ in protest o$ his support $or NY> surveillance o$ 8uslims*
80 has taken an alto+ether !iDerent tack. <ts role as a pai! consultant on the cable "A series* 7"#rant*= was perhaps the best
example o$ its accommo!ationist stance. ro!uce! b# 1owar! Kor!on* the creator o$ 75-= an! 71omelan!*= the show starre! a
white actor pla#in+ a patholo+ical 0rab !ictator who rule! over the !eepl# !#s$unctional ctional nation o$ 0bu!!in. 2ven
mainstream "A critics !eri!e! the series as unbearabl# Orientalist* with the 6ashin+ton ostHs 1ank Stuever !escribin+ it as a
7stulti$#in+l# acte! "A !rama stocke! with tire! an! terribl# broa! notions o$ 8uslim culture in a makebelieve nation on the brink.=
Lea!in+ up to the 6hite 1ouse <$tar* a lea!er o$ a maGor 8uslim a!vocac# or+aniBation tol! me on back+roun! that 80 was
blee!in+ support* especiall# $rom #oun+er activists. 0t the <$tar !inner* Obama launche! into a !e$ense o$ <sraelHs assault on the
KaBa Strip* !eclarin+* 7< will sa# ver# clearl#* no countr# can accept rockets re! in!iscriminatel# at citiBens. 0n! so* weHve been
ver# clear that <srael has the ri+ht to !e$en! itsel$ a+ainst what < consi!er to be inexcusable attacks $rom 1amas.= 1e went on to
claim a+ainst all evi!ence that his a!ministration ha! 7worke! lon+ an! har! to alleviate= the humanitarian crisis in KaBa* an! that it
ha! 7emphasiBe! the nee! to protect civilians* re+ar!less o$ who the# are or where the# live.= 0li MurnaB* the central re+ional
!irector $or the Flori!abase! 2mer+e :S0* was in the au!ience. 1e tol! me that ObamaHs remarks provoke! !eep
!iscom$ort* with atten!ees exchan+in+ !isturbe! looks an! rollin+ their e#es in
astonishment. No one walke! out in protest* however. 70$ter the !inner* < overhear! at least three !iDerent exchan+es
atten!ees pointin+ out that alestinians shoul! have a ri+ht to !e$en! themselves too*= MurnaB recalle!. Like man# others who
Goine! the !inner* MurnaB was not aware that <sraeli 0mbassa!or Ion >ermer ha! been invite!. >ermer was a lon+time con!ant o$
<sraeli rime 8inister enGamin Netan#ahu an! the son o$ the Iepublican $ormer 8a#or o$ 8iami each. "his #ear* >ermer broke
!iplomatic protocol b# appearin+ at a $un!raiser $or the Iepublican Jewish ommittee* helpin+ to raise mone# $or a partisan
or+aniBation !e!icate! to un!erminin+ ObamaHs a+en!a. erhaps the most startlin+ aspect o$ >ermerHs
presence at the <$tar !inner was his state! belie$ that 7a cultural ten!enc# towar!s
belli+erenc#= is 7!eepl# embe!!e! in the culture o$ the 0rab worl! an! its $oremost
reli+ion.= 0ccor!in+ to MurnaB* >ermer spent the evenin+ isolate! in the 6hite 1ouseHs Kreen Ioom a!Gacent to the main
reception area* where he mille! aroun! mostl# without compan#. None o$ the activists invite! to the !inner approache! him. 6hen
!inner be+an* MurnaB sai! Obama was unusuall# can!i! with those seate! at his table. "he# con$ronte! him on the
issue o$ !omestic sp#in+* an issue that took on renewe! imme!iac# a$ter
revelations b# the <ntercept that the NS0 an! F< has spie! on lea!in+ 8uslim
0merican civil ri+hts activists. Obama attempte! to remin! them that the sp#in+
ha! be+un un!er his pre!ecessor* ush* but defended the practice nonetheless*
!en#in+ that the NS0 ha! violate! an# laws.
3slamopho(ic lo((*ists means plan causes huge ght
C'3< 2$1? Qouncil on 0merican <slamic Ielations hica+o' 8arch ,9* 5@,?' 7"12 <NFL:2N2 OF
others. "hrou+h their various think tanks an! a!vocac# or+aniBations* misin$ormation experts $ear
mon+er an! propa+ate baseless an! inammator# rhetoric that shapes state an! national !iscourse an! polic#.
ri+ette Kabriel characteriBes <slam as bent on the !estruction an! !omination o$0merican $ree!om an! values an! sa#s <slam keeps countries backwar!s* teaches hate an! oppresses
women an! chil!ren. She an! her contemporaries emplo# +ross +eneraliBations euatin+
8uslims with ra!ical <slamists* ar+uin+ that the !iDerence between <slam an! the
6est is the !iDerence between 7civiliBation an! barbarism= an! 7+oo!ness an!
evil.= She is uote! sa#in+ 7the# have no soul* the# are !ea!set on barbarism.= "o cast such a sha!ow o$ ,.3
billion 8uslims as barbaric* hate$ul an! soulless is !an+erousl# re!uctionist an! insi!ious. 1er books* ecause "he#
1ate an! "he# 8ust e Stoppe!* !etail her extremist min!set. 1er or+aniBation 0"^ For 0merica* which boasts
over 53@ chapters nationwi!e* mobiliBes people at the +rassroots level to 7make a !iDerence in their communities=
b# essentiall# propa+atin+ their hate$ul messa+e nationwi!e. "hrou+h this or+aniBation* she en!eavors to la#
the le+islative +roun!work $or !iscriminator# policies a+ainst 8uslims.
'uthoritarianism &'-
Energ* resource depletion will lead to world wars – our government
uses more and more energ* to solve economic and social pro(lems,
and that)s unsustaina(le
0anson D (Ja# 1anson. June 5-* 5@@. 70 0S< <>20 OF 1O6 O:I KOA2IN82N"