CARDS

Insurgency and terrorism are different.

Wheat 11, Treston. The Difference Between Terrorists and Insurgents World
Report News. December 26, 2011.
There are many similarities among the different types of sub-state violence, which has led some to erroneously
equate all of them. Fundamental differences exist between an insurgency and terrorism and other forms of violence.
When people try to equate sub-state violence no matter its source, they strip their analysis of any meaning. This is
ultimately like saying that premeditated murder is the same act as vehicular homicide and that these are the same
as self-defense. It denudes any actual thought concerning the nature of force by saying they are identical .

Although insurgency and terrorism are both politically motivated violence ,

they have different strategic choices and organizational structures that
demonstrate how they are different political phenomena . The most fundamental
difference between insurgency and terrorism can be found in the definitions of the words. The definition of
terrorism is politically motivated violence or the threat of violence against
non-combatants by sub-state actors ; the definition of insurgency, on the
other hand, is a struggle between a nonruling group and the ruling
authorities in which the nonruling group uses political resources and
violence and is a protracted political-military activity that uses
irregular military forces. Long term objectives can appear similar between insurgents and terrorists,
like al-Qaeda and the Taliban wanting Shariah law implemented in states. Yet, it is the second-tier and short term

One must separate the teleological

objectives from the immediate objectives of organizations . Terrorisms
objectives are, according to Louise Richardson, revenge, renown, and
reaction. Take for instance the suicide bombings in London in 2005; the four attackers did not believe theirs
objectives of insurgents and terrorists that separate them.

actions would lead to the establishment of the Caliphate. Rather, they wanted to seek revenge for Britains action in
the Middle East and the countrys support for the war there. Terrorists measure the success of their attacks by how
much attention it receives. In addition, they received the renown they wanted. The terrorists sidelined the G-8
summit and became famous across the world. Although they did not achieve the reaction they wanted, i.e.
retaliation to increase hatred of the West, a reaction was part of their immediate objectives. Finally, terrorists plan
for their attacks to have far-reaching psychological effects beyond the immediate victim(s) or object of the terrorist

The terrorists objective is

therefore more about scaring civil society and making themselves known.
attack. Terrorism wants to spread terror amongst the population.

AFF CARDS
Shipments of arms from the US are often stolen by our own
enemies.
Pianin 15, Eric. U.S. Shoots Itself In the Foot By Accidentally Arming ISIS June
4, 2015.
One of the earliest major setbacks in the war against ISIS came last June
when the U.S.-backed Iraqi army was routed by Islamic militants in the
northern Iraq city of Mosul. Government forces retreated from the Islamic jihadists assault. They
left behind a trove of costly military hardware, including U.S.-made armored Humvees,
trucks, rockets, machine guns and even a helicopter. Last weekend, the new Iraqi prime minister, Haider al-Abadi,
gave Iraqi state television the first detailed accounting of those lost weapons. Some were old or barely functioning,

the U.S.-made
weaponry that fell into enemy hands including 2,300 Humvee armored
vehicles, at least 40 M1A1 main battle tanks, 74,000 machine guns, and as
many as 52 M198 howitzer mobile gun systems, plus small arms and
ammunition. Although al-Abadi and other Iraqi and U.S. officials havent attached a dollar sign to the lost
but others were in good shape and of great value to the ISIS militants. According to Reuters,

weaponry and vehicles, a back-of-the-envelope calculation of those losses might look something like this: 2,300
Humvee armored vehicles @ $70,000 per copy. Total: $161 million 40 M1A1 Abram tanks @ $4.3 million per copy.
Total: $172 million 52 M198 Howitzer mobile gun systems @ $527,337 per copy. Total: $27.4 million 74,000 Army

The grand total comes to $656.4 million,

but experts say those losses represent just a portion of the many
hundreds of millions of dollars worth of U.S.-supplied military equipment
that has fallen into ISISs hands and is being used against the U.S. and
allied forces on the ground in Iraq and neighboring Syria.
machine guns @ $4,000 per copy. Total: $296 million

Corruption in the Iraqi army is a problem, leads to failures of

arms shipments.
Friedersdorf 14, Conor. How U.S. Weapons Fall Into the Hands of Terrorists
Nov. 24, 2014.
The United States has insisted that the Iraqi military act as the conduit for any new aid and armaments being
supplied for a counteroffensive, including money and weapons intended for tribal fighters willing to push out the
Islamic State.

In its 2015 budget, the Pentagon has requested $1.3 billion to

provide weapons for the government forces and $24.1 million intended for
the tribes. But some of the weaponry recently supplied by the army has
already ended up on the black market and in the hands of Islamic State
fighters, according to Iraqi officers and lawmakers. American officials directed questions to the Iraqi
government. I told the Americans, dont give any weapons through the armynot even one piecebecause

corruption is everywhere, and you will not see any of it , said Col. Shaaban al-Obeidi
of the internal security forces, also a Sunni tribal leader in Anbar Province. Our people will steal it.
The New York Times article focuses on how corruption in the Iraqi army poses a significant and perhaps fatal
obstacle to the Obama administration's ongoing intervention in that country. But news that weapons are flowing
from the U.S. to the Iraqi army to ISIS fighters is also yet another reason to doubt the strategy for opposing ISIS in

Syria that politicians like Hillary Clinton, Lindsey Graham, and Marco Rubio long ago embraced. Think about it.
During a decade of war in Iraq, the U.S. government gained a lot of institutional knowledge about the country and
its army. America's intelligence gathering there was comparatively sophisticated. Lots of American diplomats
gained expertise on the ground. And U.S. forces trained, advised, or fought beside many of the men in the army.

the United States has been unable to funnel weapons through

Iraq without ISIS getting them. So in Syria, where the U.S. has inferior knowledge and intelligence
Despite all this,

gathering, was it ever plausible for Washington to identify and arm "moderate rebels" without a much greater risk
of ISIS getting ahold of the weapons? I think not. But that's the strategy that Clinton, Graham, Rubio, and other

Even now, despite seeing ISIS get weapons sent to Iraq , these
politicians maintain that we'd have been better off if only Obama had
armed the Syrian rebels.
hawks proposed.

Arms to Syria only fuel the black market.

Mazzetti and Younes 16 (Mark Mazzetti, Ali Younes). C.I.A. Arms for Syrian
Rebels Supplied Black Market, Officials Say New York Times. June 26, 2016.
Weapons shipped into Jordan by the Central Intelligence Agency and Saudi
Arabia intended for Syrian rebels have been systematically stolen by
Jordanian intelligence operatives and sold to arms merchants on the black
market, according to American and Jordanian officials. [] The theft and resale of arms
including Kalashnikov assault rifles, mortars and r ocket-propelled
grenades have led to a flood of new weapons available on the black arms
market. Investigators do not know what became of most of them, but a disparate collection of groups, including
criminal networks and rural Jordanian tribes, use the arms bazaars to build their arsenals.

Cutting off arms to Syria is the only way to stop the senseless
killings just bombing terrorists isnt going to do the job.
Chomsky 16, Noam. Noam Chomsky on Syria Conflict: Cut Off the Flow of Arms
& Stop Bombing to Stem the Atrocities Interview with Amy Goodman of
Democracy Now! May 17, 2016.
Syria is spiraling into real disaster, a virtual suicide. And the only sensible
approach, the only slim hope, for Syria is efforts to reduce the violence and
destruction, to establish small regional ceasefire zones and to move toward some kind of diplomatic
settlement. There are steps in that direction. Also, its necessary to cut off the flow of arms,
as much as possible, to everyone. That means to the vicious and brutal
Assad regime, primarily Russia and Iran, to the monstrous ISIS, which has
been getting support tacitly through Turkey, throughto the al-Nusra Front, which is hardly
different, has just thethe al-Qaeda affiliate, technically broke from it, but actually the al-Qaeda affiliate, which is
now planning its ownsome sort of emirate, getting arms from our allies, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Our ownthe CIA
is arming them. We dont know at what level; its clandestine .

As much as possible, cut back the

flow of arms, the level of violence, try to save people from destruction .
There should be far more support going simply for humanitarian aid.
Those who are building some sort of a society in Syrianotably, the Kurds
should be supported in that effort. These efforts should be made to cut
off the flow of jihadis from the places where theyre coming from . And that
means understanding why its happening. Its not enough just to say, "OK,

lets bomb them to oblivion." This is happening for reasons. Some of the
reasons, unfortunately, arewe cant reverse. The U.S. invasion of Iraq was a major reason
in the development, a primary reason in the incitement of sectarian conflicts, which have now exploded into these
monstrosities. Thats water under the bridge, unfortunately, though we can make sure not to do thatnot to
continue with that. But we may like it or not, but ISIS, the ISIL, whatever you want to call it, does have popular
support even among people who hate it. The Sunnimuch of the Sunni population of Iraq and Syria evidently
regards it as better than the alternative, something which at least defends them from the alternative. From the
Western countries, the flow of jihadis is primarily from young people who arewho live in conditions of humiliation,
degradation, repression, and want something decentwant some dignity in their lives, want something idealistic.
Theyre picking the wrong horse, by a large margin, but you can understand what theyre aiming for. And theres
plenty of research and studiesScott Atran and others have worked on this and have plenty of evidence about it.
And thosealleviating and dealing with those real problems can be a way to reduce the level of violence and
destruction.

NEG CARDS
Obama has not changed US status quo perceptions of Saudi
Arabia in spite of Iran.
Bazzi 16, Mohamad. NYU Journalism Professor. Obama may be preaching 'tough
love' to Saudi but arms sales tell another story The Guardian. April 22, 2016.
Despite Saudi anger and US public perception, Obama has not
fundamentally altered the special relationship between the kingdom
and the United States. As Obama has preached a kind of tough love telling the Saudis
that he wont commit US military resources to reflexively support them
against Iran his administration has dramatically ramped up arms sales to
the kingdom and other Gulf allies. Since 2010, the Obama administration
authorized a record $60bn in US military sales to Saudi Arabia. Since then, the
administration concluded deals for nearly $48bn in weapons sales triple the $16bn in sales under the George W

and US intelligence assistance that

helps Saudi Arabia conduct its war in Yemen American public anger
against the kingdom is rising. Members of Congress are pushing through a bill that would allow the
Bush administration. Even as Obama ramps up arms sales

Saudi leadership to be held responsible in US courts for the 9/11 terrorist attacks (in which 15 of the 19 hijackers
were Saudis) if victims families can prove that any Saudi officials played a role in the attacks. In response, Saudi
officials are threatening to sell off up to $750bn in US assets if the law is adopted. To the Saudi leadership, the

And in
response, the kingdom is becoming more militarily aggressive, even as it
struggles financially due to the global collapse in oil prices.
legislation is one more sign of its perceived abandonment by the US during Obamas tenure.

US Saudi relations shaky right now

McManus 16, Doyle. The Saudi-U.S. relationship: Shakier than ever Los
Angeles Times. January 10, 2016.
Saudi Arabia's royal family is frightened and that's a problem for the
U.S.-Saudi relationship. The Saudis are surrounded by enemies. To the north, Abu Bakr
Baghdadi, leader of Islamic State, has promised to overthrow the Al Saud
dynasty, which he calls the serpent's head. To the south, Sunni-led
Saudi forces are at war against Shia Muslim rebels in Yemen . To the east, the Al
Saud face the rival they fear most, Shia-ruled Iran. T he Saudis have problems at home, too.
Fearing subversion from both Islamic State and Iran, the government has
cracked down on Sunni and Shia dissidents alike, jailing writers,
journalists and human rights lawyers as well as potential terrorists . The
plummeting price of oil has blown a hole in the government's budget while
the population, accustomed to subsidized housing and utilities, keeps
growing. And the family faces a succession crisis; 80-year-old King Salman, who ascended to the throne last
year, is described privately by diplomats as nearly senile. Once their regime was a pillar of conservative stability;

now fear has made them unpredictable.

US Saudi Relations under strain

Sreenivasan et al. 16, (Hari Sreenivasan, Margaret Warner, Randa Slim)
Why the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia is under strain PBS Newshour. April
21, 2016.
MARGARET WARNER: Beneath the ornate chandeliers of Riyadhs Diriyah Palace this morning, Saudi King Salman
gave flicker of a smile, as President Obama outlined steps the U.S. and Gulf states were taking to deepen

their two days of meetings came amidst

new strains emerging in the decades-long partnership between the two
countries. The fundamental bargain, oil for guns, a reliable supply of Saudi
oil, in return for U.S. military protection and weaponry for the kingdom .
But, today shale-oil-and-gas-rich America has less need of Saudi oil. And with
cooperation on regional and security challenges. But

the region in turmoil, from conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, Islamic State aggression, oil prices falling, and a rising
Iran, the original bargain is fraying. RANDA SLIM, Middle East Institute: This relationship saw its
glory days in the 1980s, 1990s. And since the al-Qaida attacks in New York on September 11, 2001, a lot of mistrust
has seeped into this relationship, and that breach has been overcome. MARGARET WARNER: Randa Slim, an analyst

each country feels let down by the other. RANDA SLIM:

The GCC, led by the Saudis, has not done enough in the fight against ISIS.
One factor is that they consider the major fight for them is Iran, and not
necessarily ISIS. The Saudis look at the Obama administration as being
enthralled with Iran, and not willing to stand up to what they perceive to
be subversive Iranian activities in their backyard. MARGARET WARNER: President Obama
at the Middle East Institute, says

sought to downplay those differences today. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: A lot of the strain was always overblown.
During the course of our administration, the GCC countries have extensively cooperated with us on
counterterrorism, on curbing the financing of terrorist activities. They are part of the ISIL counter-ISIL coalition.