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Advantage I- <US Venezuela Relations> A. US Venezuela Relations are rocky and unpredictable. 1.

Despite efforts to improve relations, criticism still arises from both sidesPresident Hugo Chvez intensified their critiques of each other while reiterating their mutual desire to improve relations. In 09 there was a lot of speculation on the US Venezuelan diplomatic policy. Finally, in 2011 Obama hit a bad note with Chavez by putting a sanction on Venezuela-Iran oil trade. This policy action is what Chavez didn't want to happen with the election of the new president. The discourse and action that has resulted from the US venezuelan relations shows that both countries are still enemies at heart. a. Chavez kicked out diplomats in 05- Chavez halted cooperation with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 2005 after accusing its agents of spying on Venezuelian counter narcotics units. This indicates that relations have been strained for quite a while. b. In 2011 US put sanctions on Venezuelas state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA for selling Iran 50 million worth of a gasoline blending component. Chavez called the act imperialist, and threatened to cut off oil supplys to the US, but never did. This is an indication of the inconsistent relations that have happened, but most importantly show that they can spiral out of control at any second because they are so unpredictable. c. WikiLeaks reveals plots by the US- Wikileaks published over 40,000 secret documents regarding Venezuela, which show the clear hand of US imperialism in efforts to topple Hugo Chavez. This proves the arguments made by Latin American leaders about the US imperialistic intentions within South America. Our argument is that this recent wikileak update re entrenched more anti America sentiment within Venezuela. d. Venezuela was angry over US comments about Chavez- The state department told Venezuela that they should respect their constitution if Chavez is deemed incapable of leadership. The Venezuelan foreign minister said those remarks were tantamount to new and ugly interference by Washington in Venezuelas domestic affairs. This statement brought a frost to the US Venezuelan relations during a very stressful time for Venezuela and there future. 2. US has Destabilized Relations with Venezuela - Venezuela accused its domestic and foreign enemies of "attacking" ailing President Hugo Chavez and expelled a U.S. Embassy attach accused of seeking military support for a plot against the government, Vice President Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday David Delmonaco, an Air Force attach for the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, was expelled Tuesday "for being implicated in (a) conspiratorial plan," the country's information ministry said. a. "Mr. David del Monaco has 24 hours to pick up his bags and leave the country," Maduro said in the televised speech 3. Venezuelas vice president Nicholas Maduro shares same ideologies as Chavez- Last year Hugo Chavez named Nicholas Maduro his successor to the Bolivarian Revolution. Maduro is a huge supporter of the socialist world view and is known for anti American rhetoric.

B. Plan solves 1. Now is a critical time- Maduro is also seen as a negotiator, and the Americans have begun their exploratory talks in part by seeking him out, said a senior U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the delicate nature of the talks with Venezuela. 2. US critical actor- There also have been meetings in Washington between Kevin Whitaker, a deputy assistant secretary of state, and Roy Chaderton, the Venezuelan ambassador to the Organization of American States, which is based in the city. We want to start small and go from that, diplomacy 101, the official said. The idea is to then go on to broader talks on issues important to the United States, including oil, drug trafficking and terrorism, and, principally, Venezuelas ties with the Iranian government which Washington is working to isolate C. The US seeks a more functional, more productive relationship with Venezuela,

said State Departmentspokeswoman Victoria Nuland in January, adding that America is open to dialogue on a range of issues of mutual interest.

a. 2. Critical first step to fulfill diplomatic needs of Chavez and the rest of Latin America- Regardless of what happens politically in Venezuela, if the Venezuelan government and if the Venezuelan people want to move forward with us, we think there is a path thats possible, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Wednesday. It is just going to take two to tango. 3. Support from US celeb, rational words- The United States, and indeed, all capitalist nations, engage in largely unrestricted trade with numerous nations, both secular and theocratic, traditionally associated with social and political oppression, and indeed contributors (suspected or acknowledged) to nuclear proliferation. While it is noted that Iran is such a nation, and that it is due to Venezuela's oil trade with Iran (actual or alleged) that they have been listed, it should also be noted that an entity in the state of Israel has also been named among the seven sanctioned. 4. Officials Hate Sanctions- Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez said the details of the U.S. sanctions are vague. And the shipments of heavy crude to PDVSA's U.S.-based subsidiaries will continue, but the company cannot guarantee shipments to non-affiliated private oil companies. a. Chavez responded on Twitter, calling the sanctions a new aggression imposed by the imperialist government. He also added that this would only strengthen Venezuela's resolve. b. Maduro told reporters that Venezuela was considering the possibility of denouncing the sanctions before international organizations like the United Nations. He said that the government's relationship with Iran is purely peaceful and that Venezuela intends to continue strengthening ties with the Iranian government. D. Venezuela Key to Iran Nuclear Talks. 1. Negotiations this week between the major powers and Iran on its nuclear program achieved only an agreement to hold technical talks in March and then another meeting in April. The outcome was frustratingly incremental, but it

keeps alive the slim possibility of a diplomatic solution. 2. Amadinejad visited Latin America last year, and Chavez has visited Iran nine times throughout his tenor. Amadinejad and Chavez vocalized their anger towards US imperialism and their wish to coordinate an action. This is the number 1 power play in both for both countries. a. Recent increase in trade negotiations and auto manufacturing between the two countries. Both leaders are very agitated at the US continued pressure to what they see as oust their economic competiteveness. Now is a time for speculation because b. Venezuela International Development Bank is owned entirely by the Iranian Toseyeh Saderat Bank. And all members of the board of trustees iranaian citezens, this cooperation and low key communication allows for various transfers of resources 3. Iran Dangerous in Squo a. Because Iran is not providing the necessary cooperation with inspectors, the International Atomic Energy Agency "cannot conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities", said Amano, the IAEA's directorgeneral.U.N. nuclear watchdog b. "There is a finite amount of time," Secretary of State John Kerry, in Riyadh, said of the talks between a group of six world powers and Tehran, Saudi Arabia's main regional adversary. c. U.S. Air Force Gen. William Shelton warned that the Tehran regime has significantly boosted its cyberwarfare program since the Stuxnet attack on the uranium enrichment center at Natanz in central Iran Shelton, who's head of the U.S. Air Force Space Command and oversees its cyberoperations, cautioned that Iran was a serious threat in cyberwarfare."They're going to be a force to be reckoned with, with the potential capabilities that they'll develop over the years and the potential threat that they'll represent to the United States," he said. Iran's operations against U.S. drones on surveillance missions as part of the armed confrontation between U.S. and Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf indicate a growing sophistication. On Dec. 4, 2011, Iran claimed it brought down a CIA RQ-170 Sentinel drone flying from Kandahar in neighboring Afghanistan by hacking into its control system when it was 140 miles inside Iranian airspace. The U.N. agency's priority is to be able to inspect Parchin, a sprawling military site southeast of the capital Tehran, where it believes Iran built an explosives chamber to carry out tests, possibly a decade ago. Iran denies this. In July, security researchers at Kaspersky Lab and Seculert, two computer security firms, discovered that a strain of malware had infected Israeli companies. Many of those companies handle critical infrastructure, like the countrys energy and water supplies, computer and telecom networks Iran's operations against U.S. drones on surveillance missions as part of the armed confrontation between U.S. and Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf indicate a growing sophistication. On Dec. 4, 2011, Iran claimed it brought

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down a CIA RQ-170 Sentinel drone flying from Kandahar in neighboring Afghanistan by hacking into its control system when it was 140 miles inside Iranian airspace. 9. a second round of suspected Iranian cyber attacks against U.S. banks is under way, and the Obama administration is seemingly doing nothing about it. 10. Chinas recent attack against US businesses - The White House also confirmed that hackers linked to the Chinese government mounted a cyberattack in October. The spear-phishing attempt struck an unclassified network and failed to extract valuable data, although such attacks are not infrequent, officials said. 11. Defense Secretary Penatta says US worried about Cyber attacks from China Despite several years of escalating diplomacy and warnings, the U.S. is making little headway in its efforts to tamp down aggressive Chinese cyberattacks against American companies and the government. He said the China-backed hackers' tactics are also evolving, and they are more often going after corporate computer systems by breaching software weaknesses, rather than simply trying to get into a network by duping an individual employee. And he said they appear to be increasingly targeting lucrative energy companies. 12. Current Regulations are Inadequate - According to a survey of 56 corporate and governmental organizations conducted by the Ponemon Institute, the average amount they paid for all the costs associated with cyberattacks was $8.9 million during the past year. That's up 6% from the previous year's study. And for the first time, Ponemon expanded the survey to other countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Japan. Costs ascribed to cyberattacks in those locales was significantly lower: $5.9 million in Germany and $5.1 million in Japan, for example. 13. Cyber Attacks will be the new pearl harbor - Penata said they can target railroads, water supply & financial transactions Cyber-Pearl Habor Defense Secretary Panetta said the next cyber attack could be the equivalent of a Cyber-Pearl Harbor 14. James Lewis, a cybersecurity expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the U.S. is starting to push the Chinese harder on the issue, but the administration needs to do more. Cyber experts and U.S. officials agree that one of the biggest threats is the possibility of a miscalculation when a cyber breach triggers a clash between the two nations and there is no underlying relationship that can be used to discuss or work out the problem. "How do you make sure something doesn't go off course and become a flashpoint for a bigger crisis?" Lewis said. 15. Panetta has warned repeatedly that cyberattacks and cyberwarfare could set off the next war. And U.S. officials and security experts say government and private industry systems are constantly being probed, breached and attacked. A key threat is an attack against critical infrastructure, including the electric grid, power plants or financial networks, that could plunge the U.S. into crisis 16. An aggressor nation or extremist group could use these kinds of cybertools to gain control of critical switches, Panetta said in a speech in October. They

could derail passenger trains or, even more dangerous, derail passenger trains loaded with lethal chemicals. They could contaminate the water supply in major cities or shut down the power grid across large parts of the country. 17. And Panetta was hardly being an alarmist. He could have added that cybersecurity experts such as Joe Weiss of Applied Control Solutions suggest a full-on cyberattack would seek not simply to shut down systems, but wreck them, using software to destroy hardware. Some believe we could then be sent into chaos not just for days of even weeks, but for months. 18. The mother of all nightmare scenarios would see electric, oil, gas, water, chemical, and transit, our entire essential infrastructure, knocked out as we sought to replace equipment that can take more than a year to manufacture and is in many cases no longer made in the U.S. Lights would stay out. Gas stations would be unable to pump and would have nothing to pump anyway. There would be no heat, no fuel, in many places no running water, no sewage treatment, no garbage, no traffic lights, no air-traffic control, minimal communication, and of course, no Wi-Fi. Neighborhoods around chemical plants could become Bhopals. 19. Panetta did not say that Iran almost certainly was behind the attack or that it may well have been in retaliation for what are believed to be joint AmericanIsraeliattacks that disrupted the Iranian oil business and wrecked a considerable number of centrifuges used to produce nuclear material. 20. Scott Borg, CEO of the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit, a nonprofit institute that advises the U.S. government and businesses on cybersecurity, said all three nations (China, Russia, Iran) have built arsenals of sophisticated computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses and other tools that place them atop the rest of the world in the ability to inflict serious damage on one another, or lesser powers. 21. the uncertain risk/reward ratio in cyberwarfare, Iran has used attacks on its nuclear program to bolster its offensive capabilities and is now developing its own "cyberarmy," Borg said. 22.

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U.S. media coverage of the Ahmadinejad trip failed on two important counts. 1. First, it conflated Venezuela and Iran. Venezuela has internationally recognized elections and works to empower the working class and the poor. Chvezs opponents in Venezuela are free to broadcast their discontent and do.13 Venezuela may in fact be the only nation where the media could publicly call for a coup of an elected leader, as some Venezuelan media outlets

did in 2002, and remain on the air. Certainly, such activities would not be permitted in the United States. In contrast, Iran, an Islamist state, jails dissidents, executes gays, and is ruled with absolute power by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Yet for the U.S. media, Iran and the leftleaning Latin American governments are all of a piece. This assumption undergirds the demonization of the pink tide leaders as dangerous pawns in Irans supposed efforts to build nuclear weaponsefforts that are unconfirmed by U.S. intelligence agencies or the International Atomic Energy Agency. 2. The second failure of this coverage was the lack of any serious discussion of why Venezuela and other countries in the region are interested in building a relationship with Iran. That is, although the nations differ in their respect for democracy and in how their governments function, they do share some common tactics in surviving in a world that is dominated by the United Stateswhich seeks to isolate these regimes and remove them from power, one way or another. The United States chooses to support any number of undemocratic regimes across the world, but is rarely held to account for it in the media 3. If the media touched on how these nations have been isolated from the U.S.dominated economic world order, the U.S. public might better understand why they cooperate. Venezuela, for instance, has opted out of such financial institutions as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, rightly critiquing them as U.S.-dominated tools to spread neoliberalism at the expense of the working class all over the world.15 Iran has been isolated from the global economy through various sanctions, urged for strongly by U.S. presidents, including Obama.16 So it makes sense that these countries would, as a matter of economic survival, seek to do business with nations that are not tightly controlled by the United States and the institutions it controls. This is also one reason there is such deep economic cooperation between many Latin American countriessuch as the economic relationship between Cuba and Venezuela, which has garnered many attacks from U.S. power brokers in the corporate media. 4. The United States has alliances with many undemocratic countries that engage in all kinds of human rights abuses. Yet the U.S. relationships with, for example, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have been described by the media and the pundit class as geopolitically essential, if unfortunate. It is useful to compare U.S. media coverage of IranianLatin American diplomatic visits with that of the United States and its autocratic allies. The U.S.-Saudi relationship is instructive, since the Saudi government is known to be undemocratic and an egregious violator of human rights, according to numerous groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International 5.

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