The CGSC Foundation’s Simons Center hosted a gathering of the Des Moines National Security Forum at the Des Moines Embassy Club West on Sept. 13, 2024. In this presentation of the forum, Dr. Benjamin M. Schneider and Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian L. Steed, Ph.D., professors at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, discussed the historical roots of the conflict in Gaza, including the European origins of Israel-Palestine, events between 1948 and 1973, and the keys to understanding the players and factors influencing the current conflict. Brownells, headquartered in Grinnell, Iowa, was the Simons Center’s cohost for the event.
Simons Center Director Col. (Ret.) Bob Ulin welcomed the attendees from the Des Moines area business community. As lunch wound down he introduced Schneider and Steed.
(Top photo and above) Dr. Benjamin M. Schneider, right, and Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian L. Steed, Ph.D., professors in the Department of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, discusses the historical roots of the conflict in Gaza during the Des Moines National Security Forum at the Des Moines Embassy Club West Sept. 13, 2024.
Schneider and Steed spoke about the historical European origins of Israel-Palestine issues, beginning with tracing the migration of Jews and their expulsion from many European countries as far back as 1290 A.D. They discussed events leading up to World War II and the sheer numbers of Jews who died in camps and from other causes. A less well-known fact revealed was the Jewish refugee crisis that occurred after WWII, wherein an estimated 820,000 Jews fled violence and discrimination in their Arab homelands between 1948-1972. They also reviewed the conflicts in the area, including the 1949 Armistice Agreements and the Six Day War in 1967, leading up to the Hamas attacks of Oct. 23, 2023.
A key point made in the presentation was about perceptions and how people can see the same thing differently. Using a pyramid as an example, they demonstrated how it presents the eye with different shapes depending what angle one views it from, and they can all be right at the same time.
After the presentation, Schneider and Steed conducted a question and answer session with the attendees.
At the conclusion, Ulin and CGSC Foundation President/CEO Lora Morgan presented Schnieder and Steed with small gifts in appreciation for their participation in the Forum.
This was the second presentation the two have made on the same topic. They spoke to another audience in Leavenworth for the Foundation’s “Distinguished Speaker Series” program in April 2024.
Benjamin M. Schneider is an assistant professor in the Department of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He received his Ph.D. from George Mason University in 2019 and has conducted fellowships with the U.S. Army Center of Military History and the Harry F. Guggenheim Foundation. His research has appeared in the Journal of Contemporary History and War in History. He was a post-doctoral fellow in the Strategy and Policy Department at the U.S. Naval War College, and is currently working on a book manuscript, tentatively titled To Hate and Kill: American War Crimes and the Failure of Military Justice in the Second World War.
Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Brian L. Steed served more than 28 years in a military uniform in artillery and cavalry units and as a Middle East foreign area officer. As a foreign area officer, he served in the Jordanian Armed Forces where he was a battalion deputy commander and as a liaison with the Israel Defense Forces giving him immersed cultural experiences on both banks of the Jordan River. He served repeatedly in Iraq, worked in Embassy Abu Dhabi, and traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Steed has authored and edited nine books dealing with cross-cultural influence and Middle East conflict and history. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science and History from the University of Missouri- Kansas City and is an associate professor of military history at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
The CGSC Foundation’s Simons Center designed the Des Moines National Security Forum in the mold of its Arter-Rowland National Security Forum in Kansas City, wherein members of the forum meet periodically at guest speaker events to learn about issues related to national security. To help facilitate the new program in Des Moines, Brownells in Grinnell, Iowa, is the Simons Center’s local partner. Brownells Chairman Pete Brownell is also the Vice Chair for the Central Region of the U.S. for the CGSC Foundation’s board of trustees. The Simons Center plans to present at least four programs each year by subject matter experts on national security issues of interest to the Des Moines community. The next event in the series is scheduled for Nov. 6, 2024, with a presentation on North Korea.
Command and General Staff College Foundation President/CEO Lora Morgan and Simons Center Director Col. (Ret.) Bob Ulin expressed thanks to the sponsors of the 2024 Des Moines National Security Forum: Brownells, Mercy One, Wellable, Nyemaster|Goode, along with community leaders Terry and Joyce Lillis, and Bob Myers.
For more photos visit the CGSC Foundation Flickr album
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