Conversations in Public Diplomacy: Benjamin Barber

The USC Center on Public Diplomacy welcomed Senior Fellow Benjamin Barber, author of international bestseller Jihad vs. McWorld, for a talk as part of this year's Conversations in Public Diplomacy series. Dr. Barber spoke on "Democratization via Military Intervention vs. Democratization from the Inside Out: Comparing Iraq and Libya."

About Benjamin Barber

Benjamin R. Barber is the Gershon and Carol Kekst Professor of Civil Society and Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland and the Director of the Democracy Collaborative, an organization that works to strengthen local and global democracy through research, training, and community action. Professor Barber’s commitment to democratic civil practices has manifested itself in many ways throughout his career: as political theorist, fundraiser, educational and political consultant, administrator, public speaker, and television and theater writer.

Barber was educated at Grinnell College (B.A., 1960) and Harvard University (M.A., 1963; Ph.D., 1966), after earning certificates at Albert Schweitzer College (1959) and the London School of Economics (1957). He has been an outside advisor to President Bill Clinton and has consulted with President Herzog and most recently President Rau of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Liberal Party of Sweden, and the European Parliament. He has drafted papers and lectured for the U.S. Information Agency and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and counseled the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Professor Barber has written 15 books, including Strong Democracy and the international bestseller Jihad vs. McWorld. He speaks frequently in North America and Europe and was the editor-in-chief for ten years of the prominent international journal Political Theory.

Barber will also be teaching a special course this fall entitled "Democratization and Public Diplomacy: Critical Questions" which is open to all International Relations and Public Diplomacy graduate students.