David Speedie is the founder and former director of the Council's program on U.S. Global Engagement. He is a founding member of The American Committee for East-West Accord.
In 2007–2008, Speedie was also a senior fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Speedie worked at Carnegie Corporation of New York from 1992 to 2007. He joined the Corporation as a program officer in the cooperative security program and was appointed program chair in March 1993, a position he held for almost 12 years. In 2004, he was appointed to serve as special advisor to the president and director of the Corporation's project on Islam.
He was recruited from the W. Alton Jones Foundation where he was codirector of the secure society program and directed, over a five year period, programs in the arts, urban affairs, and the environment. In the 1980s, Speedie was a consultant to nonprofits in management, marketing, and fund-raising as well as director of cultural affairs for Mayor Bill Green in Philadelphia. He also served as the bicentennial liaison officer at the British Embassy in Washington.
For three years, Speedie was a professor of English and drama at the University of St Andrews in his native Scotland. Speedie holds an Honours M.A. [First Class] in Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Studies and an M.Litt. from the University of St Andrews. He was a visiting research fellow as a Kennedy scholar at Harvard University from 1971–1973. He has been a book editor and writer for the National Endowment for the Arts' Community Vision, a freelance journalist on politics for The Scotsman, and most recently, a reviewer for the International Journal of Middle East Studies. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Featured Work
JUL 14, 2015 • Podcast
Eighteen Months On: Post-Maidan Ukraine
Professor Nicolai Petro was a Fulbright scholar in Odessa, southern Ukraine, for a year in the aftermath of the Maidan revolution. In Odessa once again, ...
JUL 2, 2015 • Article
U.S.-Russia Relations: Critical and Unstable
"What was a troubled relationship is now on life support, and the deterioration has taken place in the most existentially perilous area of arms control, ...
JUN 23, 2015 • Podcast
Ethical Leadership: A Conversation with Chuck Hagel
The one constant in Chuck Hagel's varied and pressure-filled career has been ethical leadership. How have his experiences--in war, the boardroom, Congress, and as secretary ...
JUN 17, 2015 • Podcast
Europe's Muslims: Challenges and Misconceptions
Months after the "Charlie Hebdo" attacks, questions remain about Europe's Muslims. How strong is the lure of al-Qaeda and ISIS for youth in France or ...
JUN 1, 2015 • Podcast
From Nuclear Deterrence to Disarmament: Evolving Catholic Perspectives
In this timely and important discussion on nuclear weapons, Des Browne provides the broader policy context; Archbishop Auza presents the Holy See's position over the ...
MAY 14, 2015 • Podcast
Israel, Iran, and ISIL: A Report on Security Challenges for the Greater Middle East
Charles Freilich, former Israeli deputy national security advisor, speaks on a wide-ranging set of topics, from Israel's post-election domestic politics to external threats from ISIL--and ...
APR 17, 2015 • Podcast
Are We At War With Islam?
In Europe, both non-Muslims and Muslims need to honestly confront and contend with the stereotypes, anxieties, and resentments they have about each other, says Professor ...
APR 16, 2015 • Podcast
Juan Cole on Europe's Muslims and More
In this enlightening conversation, Professor Cole, an expert in relations between the Muslim world and the West, gives an on-the-ground perspective on the Iran nuclear ...
APR 8, 2015 • Podcast
P5 + 1 + Iran: Report on the Ongoing Nuclear Talks
Speaking on the very day of the nuclear framework, Ambassador Mousavian explains why he believes the agreement is positive progress for both sides. And in ...
MAR 10, 2015 • Podcast
The United States, Russia, and Ukraine: Report from Moscow
Dmitri Trenin, director of Carnegie Endowment's Moscow Center, served in the Soviet and Russian military for two decades and understands both the Russian and U....