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Development, Diplomacy Keys to Making Our World Safe?

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DES MOINES, Ill. -  Is America the next target of Islamic terror? If so, how do we prevent it from happening?

Through development and diplomacy, according to leaders gathered in Des Moines, Illinois, Monday for a forum on the upcoming presidential election, foreign policy, and national security.

"You can't have successful military operations without also engaging other lines of effort -- diplomacy, information operations, economic operations. They all need to work in conjunction with each other in order for the other one to be successful," Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said.

"As we apply it towards ISIS right now, we do need military action which would destroy ISIS, but we also have to have partners such as USAID, the State Department, our non-governmental organizations, all running in parallel with those military efforts to make sure we are stabilizing those communities," she said.

**The event was moderated by CBN News Chief Political Correspondent David Brody.  Watch below:



US Global Leadership Coalition

The junior Senator from Iowa was one of three panelists participating in the event sponsored by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (LINK) and moderated by CBN News Chief Political Correspondent David Brody.

Retired Army Lt. General Daniel Christman and Paul E. Schickler, president of DuPont Pioneer, joined Ernst on stage as they discussed everything from the terrorist attacks in Paris to the Syrian refugee crisis to America's role as a global leader and food security in developing nations.

"We're going to have 9 billion people on the planet over the next 30-40 years," Schickler said.

In places like Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and China "they will not only want more food but better quality food... subsistence diets that are poor in nutrition to diets that are much more robust in protein - milk, meat and eggs -- and which is what the Iowa economy and U.S. economy provide for the world," he said.

Peace through Strength

Presidential candidates are flooding Iowa with campaign ads and personal appearances, and Ernst had some advice for them on leadership.

"You can carry the title 'president,' but that doesn't necessarily make you a leader… Right now we have a void. We need a leader that will step forward and will say, 'Arab nations, allies, we need to come together and work together,' Ernst said. "We need a leader that can come together to combat ISIS, hunger, to combat so many other issues -- malaria, other disease in Africa."

"We simply can't do it alone," she also noted.

Ernst strongly believes the United States should have a "robust military."  She added "when countries are fed and when their children aren't starving, they're less likely to have unrest in those countries… they're less likely to rise up against you."

Helping Others

There are 60 million refugees from around the world who are looking for a place to call home.

"The most visible of that are the Syrian refugees in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon primarily," Christman said.

"The most obvious way in which we can help, is to focus on one or two countries that are so crucial to combatting the jihadist narrative and that's Jordan and Turkey. Both of those counties have in excess of a million refugees," he explained. "Jordan is Sunni Arab and they're perhaps our closest Arab ally in the region. We have a free trade deal with Amman, so the ability to provide humanitarian assistance to that country to the Turks and even to Lebanon.. is vital to protecting our security."

"Make no mistake, the source of the problem is Bashar al-Assad and ISIS as well," he continued. "But as a separate humanitarian issue, we cannot ignore the challenges that Jordan and Turkey in particular face. That's why the humanitarian side, through development and diplomacy, is so vital to precluding the arrival of those refugees on our shores."

The challenges that these refugees face can be overwhelming.

"They face very serious hardships because the resources that are provided now for refugees have been dramatically diminished over the last 40 years. There are fewer ESL classes, there are fewer resettlement agencies," Dr. Judith Conlin, executive director of the Iowa International Center.

"If you are resettled, 90 days of rent, then good luck. I hope you've learned English, that you've find a job, and that you can take care of your family and can find another place to rent," she said.

Conlin, who has a passion for helping refugees and immigrants, was one of more than 200 experts, academics, and community leaders attending the forum - all of whom want to do their part to show how people are connected globally and how the United States can help build bridges through compassion and trade.

"Ninety-five percent of the world's population is outside the U.S. borders," Craig A. Floss, CEO of Iowa Corn, said. Out of the 5 percent of the population in America, "less than one percent are farmers, so it's very, very important that farmers engage in the global economy."

"We have farmers that are engaged around the world helping promote important trade policies that allow us to export our product. We produce an abundance. Agriculturally, we (have a) $43 billion surplus. We're one of the few industry sectors that has such a large surplus," Floss said.

So Much to Be Thankful For

As the forum came to a close, panelist were asked to reflect on America's standing in the world this Thanksgiving holiday.

"We do rise up to that leadership expectation," DuPont said. "We don't sit back and watch. Rather we step forward and be a leader and receive a tremendous amount of satisfaction by lifting other up."

Christman agreed saying he was thankful for "those who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of this country and the values and the freedoms that we enjoy."

"Our nation by it's very nature inspires all of our children to do so many great things," Ernst said "Not just here in the U.S., but globally. I am thankful that we have a nation…that provides opportunities for even the least among us."

Be sure to checkout TheBrodyFile and #cbnnews2016 on Twitter for the latest on the election.

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About The Author

Robin
Mazyck

Robin Mazyck serves as Bureau Chief for CBN News' Washington, D.C., bureau. She has interviewed a number of prominent politicians and national figures for the network. She grew up a military brat and is from South Carolina and loves the Low Country. Robin graduated with English and Communications degrees from Newberry College and a master’s in journalism from Michigan State University. Robin is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She is a married and has a son.