Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Analysis, Dubious Solutions
Review: The subtitle of the book is a bit incorrect; it might be more aptly described as terrorism's challenge to capitalism. Barber sees an interdependent human civilization with two emerging powers, the power of global capitalism (McWorld) and reactionary tribalism (Jihad). He correctly sees both of these forces as antidemocratic and indeed anti-nation state. Essentially, the main conflict is between the emerging postmodernity and its critics. Some of what I thought were the most fascinating sections were where Barber describes as "Jihad via McWorld" were motifs of tribalism become sucked into the market machine. He does seem a little bit down on capitalism in general, although he does stress that it works very well within the confines of a democratic nation-state. Barber does seem to lean left, if only because he seems to tackle his discussion of McWorld with much greater energy than his discussion of Jihad (although I concede that may just be my rightward bias).
I think this is superior in many ways to competing explanations that emphasize political culture (such as the Clash of Civilizations) because it stresses economic factors and, more importantly, stresses the interdependence of the modern world. Barber aptly describes how the world becomes more united even as it becomes more divided.
I would give this 5 stars, but I am unsatisfied with Barber's solutions. He's keen on democratizing world institutions, but such institutions have proven to be ineffective against both McWorld and Jihad.
Many reviewers have already pointed out that despite Barber's use of the word "Jihad" his focus is not Islam. In fact, the chapter ostensibly devoted to Islam focuses more on reactionary tribalism in the United States (which is worthy of discussion, but deserves its own chapter). It is disappointing he doesn't deal with the Middle East, not only for the obvious instances of Jihad but also the elites striving to be players in McWorld (notably in Saudi Arabia).
Rating: 
Summary: Narrowly focused but very well-thought out
Review: "Jihad vs McWorld" is an attempt by author Benjamin R. Barber to illustrate how both the tribalism of Islmic and other fundamentalisms and the globalising effect of turbo-capitalism today involving huge super-rich corporations controlling vast monopolies throughout the world are opposed to a healthy democracy.The book begins with a study of the way in which, since the collapse of the Stalinist regimes in Eastern Europe in 1989, there has been a major advance by large corporations into these and other countries as a result of policies in the imperialist nations of privatisation and deregulation of essential services. The book also shows how even in the few remaining Stalinist regimes (supposedly opposed to the kind of globalisation represented by McWorld) there has been this kind of spread. Even the most traditional groups are turning to Western technology as the super-rich banks aim to gain larger and larger profits through more efficient businesses after the end of the long postwar capitalist boom. This "turbo-capitalism" is shown up in the next part of the book to be merely a revival of classical laissez-faire capitalism which views everything from the perspective of the market. The book then focuses on the problems created today by the vast demand for profits by super-rich corporations in terms of dependence by imperialist nations on other countries for their ruling classes' key resources: oil, aluminium, copper, lead etc. Here it is stated that autarky as promoted in the US has never been an option for mineral-poor nations - and that many nations in sub-Saharan Africa will remain terminally poor due to lack of good soils or mineral wealth. With oil, the story is worse because of the threat of Islamic fundamentalism. Barber then discusses superficially - with no opinions made - the way in which the manufacturing sector has been globalised to increase profits, and then he discusses how the imperialist nations have used the mystique of popular performers and brands used by leading international sportsmen in the US to spread American culture (sometimes modified) all over the globe. However, it is impossible for the working classes to actually achieve the status of the performers super-rich corporations are marketing - Barber does a good job here of explaining the way advertisers attract ingnorant consumers and reap obscene profits. Barbers then turns to the service sector, where he explains clearly how globalised services deliver to the ruling classes of the world, through a globalised media in one language. This is extended with satellite TV and literature. Barber then turns to the frenzy of media mergers and monopoly - which he rightfully points out as leading effectively to a censored media as most independent newspapers developed during the long capitalist boom become swallowed up by highly monopolised presses. Here Barber shows the increased extent of mergers to produce a vast international capitalist media. The part dealing with the sectarian "Jihad" that has emerged in recent years is, however, not very well done because it does not explain the way in which the sectarian groups now prominent in America evolved - in part, though their support for capitalist policies. The description of separatist movements in Canda is also superficial, but in China Barber is more effective at explaining how the Stalinist regime has not dealt with Westernisation. The chapter on islamic fundamentalism can also be described as a failure because it does not seriously look at the historical aspects of Islamic extremeism - nor at their acts in recent years. In the last part of the book Barber discusses how a parochial opposition to the capitalist system (like that of guerillas in the developing countries) can offer no real opposition. He does logically see laissez-fair capitalism as opposed to genuine democracy, and he sees little hope in traditional state institutions, but he cannot see ordinary people's struggles to smash capitalism in the imperialist countries as a solution - rather, Barber tries to rely on civil society to provide regulations. However, there is ample evidence from history that to challenge environmental degradation and the concentration of wealth a movement to abolish capitalism and the free market and through the mass struggle of ordinary people in every country - leading in the end to social ownership of all means of production - is the only real challenge to McWorld and Jihad. On the whole, well thought-out but fails to look at every aspect of the situation. Barber does not grasp the possibilities explored by radical internationalist politics, nor the history of the movements in vogue today.
Rating: 
Summary: Unfortunately... a shrill, confused rant
Review: If you think this book will be something along the lines of Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations", think again. Barber makes scant mention of militant Islam or any other motivation for terror, and does little to discuss or propose practical remedies. Instead, he blathers on about "Declarations of Inter-dependence", "Global Justice", "Democracy versus Capitalism", world government, and every other warmed over pot of anti-globalizing porridge that you can imagine. Within the first twenty pages of the book he is morally equating terrorists with currency speculators, and that theme remains throughout. His hatred for freedom and his ignorance of basic economics are palpable, and both are well expressed in his frequent and verbose attacks on ridiculous straw men. The only Jihad on show here is Barber's zealous neo-Marxism.
Rating: 
Summary: Misleading Cover
Review: As a student focusing on Islam, I expected this book to address the conflict between Islamic fundamentalism and democracy throughout the book; after all, the title states, "Terrorism's Challenge to Democracy." In truth, Barber includes only one chapter on Islam. Additionally, he uses the word "jihad" as a blanket term to describe all world-wide struggles to maintain traditional culture in the face of the overwhelming American capitalist machine. He uses this term to make a point, but he also succeeds in confusing readers as to what it actually means and stands for. No, jihad does not necessarily mean rebellion against capitalism, nor does Islam advocate such a thing. In the end, uninformed readers might come away with incorrect ideas about Islam, seeing as it's barely addressed in the entire book.
Rating:
Summary: Could be better written
Review: The title of this book and the cover photograph are definitely catchy. We live in a world in which western (read: American) consumer culture is rapidly encroaching on other cultures around the planet and as a result there is an attempt to fight back and this where the jihad comes in. If you are interested in east-west relations, there is some information in this book that is certainly useful but unfortunately that information is obscured by the verbose writing style of the author. After gleaning the main point of this book, I gave up reading it half-way through because the prose was so convoluted.
Rating:
Summary: A point please!
Review: Barber's got an interesting topic here, but he doesn't seem to go anywhere with it. He doesn't give any statistics, facts, or anecdotes to explore the yin and yang of globalism and the Third World. Instead he seems to go on and on without adding to the subject. The preface to the post-9/11 printing is interesting, but the rest of the book is somewhat dated.
Rating:
Summary: Thought-provoking read
Review: This is a must read for anyone interested in the issues of globalism, Americanization, and ethnic issues. Don't get hung up on the title. By "McWorld," Barber means the globalization of markets, and by "Jihad" the ethnic divisiveness we see all over the world. He uses these terms throughout the book, always in the broadest senses possible.
Jihad vs. McWorld reads fairly easily, though some parts (especially the conclusion) drag a bit. Barber did an excellent job on the McWorld part of his argument. He outlined the growing monopoly in the telecommunications sector and warned of the danger of dropping one's role as a citizen in favor of one's role as a consumer. The Jihad section was unconvincing, however, in part because the examples he used were too few in number and contained little hard data.
Like a true academician, Barber takes 300 pages to say what could be handled quite effectively with 200. My main complaint though, is his overwhelming tendency to discuss topics only in the abstract. If wordiness and abstraction don't bother you much, by all means, open this book. It connected ideas I had never connected before, and made me think.
Rating:
Summary: Right On Target
Review: This book came out in 1995, but it has never been more relevant than today. In describing the world situation as a battle (or, more accurately, dialectic) between "Jihad" and "McWorld," Benjamin Barber has not merely invented a catchy metaphor; this is indeed the direction much of the world is moving. Jihad as used here is not, of course, merely the Islamic holy war, though it certainly includes this. It is any reactionary, tribal movement that sees modernization and the Western world in particular as evil. McWorld is the opposing movement --the ever-expanding globalization that brings McDonald's, Walmart and American cinema to every corner of the globe. Barber's most important insight is that both of these forces, violently opposed to each other as they are, are incompatible with any meaningful concept of democracy. Jihad, of course, whatever form it takes, sees freedom and democracy as inseparable from corruption, immorality and greed. McWorld, on the other hand, embodies the most amoral aspects of Western civilization, sometimes giving credence to the fears of Jihad warriors. The multinational corporations who are colonizing the world have little regard for traditional cultures and native environments. The problem with Jihad is that, instead of offering a constructive criticism of McWorld, it retreats into a violent reactionary mode and blindly condemns everything modern. And when the devotees of Jihad act out in a truly violent manner, this in turn makes the superficially benign forces of corporate capitalism seem civilized by comparison. Barber also points out that the two often exist side-by-side in the same region --sometimes in the same individuals, strange as this seems. Throughout the book, Barber describes the two forces as a dialectic. As he says,
"...Jihad stands not so much in stark opposition as in subtle counterpoint to McWorld and is itself a dialectical response to modernity whose features both reflect and reinforce the modern world's virtues and vices --Jihad via McWorld rather than Jihad vs. McWorld." Barber also reveals that Jihad is very much active in modern Western democracies. In America, for example, armed militias and groups such as Aryan Nations are attempts to overthrow the moral corruption of modern capitalism. Less extreme but in the same vein are fundamentalist Christians who believe Judgment Day is imminent, and perhaps welcome it. Many will recall the reaction of Pat Robertson and other fundamentalists after the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attack --it was, they said, God punishing an immoral, Godless society. Overall, Jihad vs. McWorld is an important book because it puts the chaotic world situation into meaningful perspective. His analysis shows the dangers of oversimplifying things and invites us to look at the complexities of this rather tragic modern dialectic. As Barber tells us, if either Jihad or McWorld is allowed to triumph, the world of the future will not be very free, sane or pleasant.
Rating:
Summary: Too irritating to read, but yes I did
Review: If you can slog through the pompous and grossly over-written prose, you will find: more or less just another leftish tract chock full of whining and alarmist generalities. The book gets two stars rather than one simply because it is so well researched. Unfortunately, the analysis is weak and repetitive. It is also self serving. You can almost hear Barber rubbing his hands together when he comes out with terms like "infotainment telesector," hoping to have created a legacy with this newly coined jargon. What was most annoying was his ... capitalizing on Sept 11, by reissuing a book which in reality has little to do with the underlying issues. Better off with Huntington.
Rating:
Summary: What vs McWorld?
Review: Whew, what a work-out. This book focuses on consumerism and globalism, "McWorld" far more than it does on radical nationalism, "Jihad." If you want an informative book on Jihad (Islamic or other) and Nationalism, THIS IS NOT THE BOOK! The book is dense, hard to get through. The writer threads interesting ideas through Buzz Brand Names and thick vocab. Not light reading. If you are really interested in Corporate Globalization, go for it. Otherwise, you may be sorely disappointed. Interesting note - my books subtitle is "Terrorism's Challenge to Democracy", not "How Globalism and Tribalism Are Reshaping the World". Anyone who has read this book knows that the subtitle my book has is a load of crap. This book barely touches on terrorism at all, and Barber declares that both McWorld and Jihad are anti-democratic. Hmmm.... sounds like Barber's trying to cash further in on the Media craze for terrorism info. Rather McWorldian.... It doesn't matter if they use it, just that they buy it, right Barber?
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