Distinguished Speaker Series explores roots of the conflict in Gaza

Simons Center Deputy Director John Nelson welcomes guests, thanks sponsors and introduces the panel speakers during the first event of the 2024 Distinguished Speaker Series at the Riverfront Community Center in downtown Leavenworth, Kansas on April 10, 2024.

The CGSC Foundation and its Simons Center hosted the first lecture of the 2024 Distinguished Speaker Series at the Riverfront Community Center in downtown Leavenworth, Kansas on April 10, 2024. In this installment of the series, 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.

Dr. Benjamin M. Schneider, assistant professor 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 first event of the 2024 Distinguished Speaker Series at the Riverfront Community Center in downtown Leavenworth, Kansas on April 10, 2024.

The evening began with a reception, followed by Simons Center Deputy Director John Nelson welcoming the attendees and recognizing the series sponsors. Toward the end of the dinner period Nelson introduced the speakers.

After introductions, Schneider kicked off the presentation with dive into 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. He 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 he 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.

Steed followed Schnieder and went over in detail 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. He wove in and out of the history, leaving the audience simultaneously gripped and confused. Fittingly, at the end of his portion of the presentation, he cautioned the group to “do your homework to know the narrative space,” because without knowing the true history, one can’t truly understand the situation as it exists and will too easily fall prey to false or misleading information.

After the presentations, Schnieder and Steed led a very detailed question and answer session with the attendees.

At the conclusion of the evening CGSC Foundation President/CEO Lora Morgan presented both Schnieder and Steed with small gifts in appreciation for their participation on the panel.

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Brian L. Steed, Ph.D., left, associate professor of military history at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, provides historic details of the various conflicts in Israel as context for the current situation during the during the first event of the 2024 Distinguished Speaker Series at the Riverfront Community Center in downtown Leavenworth, Kansas on April 10, 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.

This lecture was the first in a series of four lectures of the 2024 Distinguished Speaker Series presented by the CGSC Foundation’s Simons Center for Ethical Leadership and Interagency Cooperation. The next event in the series is scheduled for May 9, 2024.

The CGSC Foundation through its Simons Center conducts the Distinguished Speaker Series (DSS) program to offer extracurricular, educational lectures intended to help enrich the Command and General Staff School curriculum and provide opportunities for outreach to the public. Topics covered in the Distinguished Speaker Series of lectures span the gamut of leadership and ethics, organizational effectiveness, collaboration, as well as current events and issues in business, government and the military. Programs are made possible in part by our sponsors.

For more photos see the CGSC Foundation Flickr album

The CGSC Foundation through its Simons Center conducts the Distinguished Speaker Series (DSS) program to offer extracurricular, educational lectures intended to help enrich the Command and General Staff School curriculum and provide opportunities for outreach to the public. Topics covered in the Distinguished Speaker Series of lectures span the gamut of leadership and ethics, organizational effectiveness, collaboration, as well as current events and issues in business, government and the military.  

~ Thank you to our 2024 DSS Sponsors ~

Five Stars
Col. (Ret.) Tim and Karen Carlin
(The Tim and Karen Carlin Family Foundation)

Four Stars
Col. (Ret.) Bill and Marge Eckhardt
Mr. John Ferguson (Ferguson Properties)
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) George Harris (First Command)
Ms. Jody Kaaz (Kaaz Construction)
Mr. Jerry Reilly (Reilly Holding Company)
Col. (Ret.) Bob and Terri Ulin

Three Stars
Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Rich and Mary Ann Keller

Two Stars
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Stan Cherrie
Ms. Sherry DeMaranville (DeMaranville and Associates)
Col. (Ret.) Tom and Candy Dials
Mr. Art Fillmore
Mr. Bill Geiger (Geiger Ready Mix Foundation)
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Bill West

One Star
Lt. Col. (Ret.) William and Kathleen Connor, Sr.
Ms. Tina Farr (Armed Forces Bank)
Mr. Curt Gilfert (Advantage Printing)
Mr. Rick Schneider (Exchange Bank)