Benjamin Barber
Senior Fellow
President and Director of CivWorld
 
Benjamin R. Barber is the President and Director of the international NGO CivWorld. An internationally renowned political theorist, Dr. Barber brings an abiding concern for democracy and citizenship to issues of politics, culture and education in America and abroad.

Previously, Barber served as 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.