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Debate: Converting to a global peace economy
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* '''Military forces are poor protection against terrorists.''' The September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon was carried out by 19 terrorists who were armed with knives and box cutters.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijackers_in_the_September_11_attacks] | * '''Military forces are poor protection against terrorists.''' The September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon was carried out by 19 terrorists who were armed with knives and box cutters.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijackers_in_the_September_11_attacks] | ||
- | * '''The United States military offers poor protection if China, for example, would get better value by buying the United States than by invading it.''' Chinese holdings of US bonds by the end of 2010 were $1.16 trillion.[http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hAdB6iVu9kUIlP8yDPDCXbvqoDkQ?docId=CNG.dd0e48cc352c6c7fab407dabd31d7f82.d31] The value of all crops grown in the United States in 2009 was $157.5 billion.[http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-19/u-s-crop-values-fell-6-3-in-2009-as-corn-prices-declined.html] | + | * '''The United States military offers poor protection if China, for example, would get better value by buying key assets of the United States than by invading it.''' Chinese holdings of US bonds by the end of 2010 were $1.16 trillion.[http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hAdB6iVu9kUIlP8yDPDCXbvqoDkQ?docId=CNG.dd0e48cc352c6c7fab407dabd31d7f82.d31] The value of all crops grown in the United States in 2009 was $157.5 billion.[http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-19/u-s-crop-values-fell-6-3-in-2009-as-corn-prices-declined.html] |
Revision as of 00:48, 1 March 2011
Would we be more secure if military expenditures were replaced with better management of our planet's resources? |
Background and Context of Debate:Global military expenditures in 2009 exceeded $1.5 trillion.[1] Better management could include and not be limited to: supporting farmers in converting from industrial-chemical agriculture to organic farming; developing clean, renewable forms of energy; extending Internet access to all citizens of planet Earth. This debate takes place in the context of the human population growing to about 7 billion people by April of 2012, which is also when close to 3.5 billion people will have access to the Internet.[2] Half of a population is frequently considered to be a quorum. It is unlikely that the United States, which accounted for $661 billion in military expenditures in 2009 by itself,[3] would approve a plan for demilitarization unilaterally. A global referendum could take place in April of 2012 that would demonstrate that it is the will of the people worldwide to convert to a peace economy. Some of the questions to be considered in this debate include: Are there better measures of national security than military might? Would transitioning from industrial-chemical agriculture to organic farming improve our security? Would developing clean, renewable energy supplies improve our security? Such questions and the pro and con arguments are presented below. |
Are there better measures of national security than military might? | |
Pro
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ConClick "edit" and write arguments here
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Would transitioning from industrial-chemical agriculture to organic farming improve our security? | |
ProClick "edit" and write arguments here
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ConClick "edit" and write arguments here
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Would developing clean, renewable energy supplies improve our security? | |
ProClick "edit" and write arguments here
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ConClick "edit" and write arguments here
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Would extending Internet access to the entire human population improve our security? | |
Pro |
Con |
References: | |
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