Arguments: 1. Democracy promotion also became a core element of George W. Bushs National Security Strategy of 2002 , and has been a key motivating factor in President Obamas response to the Arab Spring , where the US has supported democratic forces against dictators such as Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Colonel Gaddafi of Libya .
2. The US under Obama has also provided leadership in the UN Human Rights Council -LSB- 12 -RSB- , and holds governments to account through The Bureau of Democracy , Human Rights and Labour -LRB- DRL -RRB- , which also forges and maintains global partnerships to promote human rights and democracy .
3. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the victory of liberal democracy over communism have provided the US with more impetus to actively promote democracy , human rights and international norms and law .
4. Under President Clinton , the Leahy Amendment to the Defense Appropriations Act of 1998 and the Religious Persecution Act of the same year demonstrated this change in priorities .
5. -LSB- 13 -RSB- U.S. Department of State , Human Rights .
6. , Accessed 14 May 2011 .
7. -LSB- 13 -RSB- -LSB- 12 -RSB- Brookings , U.S. Leadership at the U.N. Human Rights Council : A Foreign Policy at Brookings Event , February 2010 .
8. , Accessed 14 May 2011 .

Debate: This House believes the United States is a benign hegemon*


Arguments: 1. Drilling will decrease US dependency on foreign oil and will make America safer .
2. Currently the United States must buy most of its oil from authoritarian and often hostile states such as Saudi Arabia , Venezuela and Iran , or from unstable places like Nigeria .
3. 22 % of US oil comes from the Middle East , 22 % from Africa , and 19 % from Latin America .
4. It is estimated that the oil in offshore reserves could supply US energy needs for two years .
5. When problems occur in these unstable energy producing countries , it often causes oil prices to rise , and the US has no way of avoiding these consequences .
6. Oil prices increased when the crisis in Libya ensued .
7. Additionally , the US loses leverage over many international actors as its hands are tied due to dependence on oil , this is the case with nuclear proliferation in Iran for example .
8. Offshore drilling and increased energy independence could help distance America from anti-democratic regimes and the impact of unrest in these unstable nations .

Debate: This house would encourage offshore drilling


Arguments: 1. 21013 World Press Freedom Index : Dashed Hopes After Spring , , 2013 , Greenslade , Roy , Turkish press freedom crisis , , 23 October 2012 , Cook , Steven A. , and Koplow , Michael , How Democratic Is Turkey ?
2. The lack of freedom of the press and how cowed the press is has been shown in the recent rioting ; CNN covered the protests live , at the same time its Turkish language subsidiary CNN Turk was broadcasting a cooking show .
3. , Foreign Policy , 3 June 2013 ,
4. This is most noticeable when it comes to freedom of the press .
5. The rule of law , limits on the power of the state , and the provision of personal rights are key to any country being considered to be a liberal democracy but these are being undermined in Turkey .
6. It is a dismal 154 on the press freedom index and most notable is that it is the country with the most imprisoned journalists with at least 76 imprisoned , mostly without having been convicted and as a result of their work .
7. Turkeys press freedoms have been in decline .

Debate:
This House believes Turkey is not a democracy