Tribalism versus Globalism: A Threat for Democracy. The Cases of Saudi Arabia and Egypt

Tribalism (Jihad) versus Globalism (‘McWorld’): a threat for democracy?

The cases of Saudi Arabia and Egypt

Different developments of diverse scales ensure the world to be a place of multiple thoughts due to distinct impressions of human beings. Pessimistic impressions are frequently formed when two phenomena become polarized. Thoughts are designated to be contradictory when those two phenomena are considered as factors, which have the ability to threaten phenomena when placed in opposed positions. The meanings of concepts change according to the adherents who believe that a particular concept has to be applied in a certain sense. Notions of concepts do change due to the fact that diverse attitudes are adopted towards them. Whereas a group of people might assume that a particular conceptualization has to be considered as propitious since its auspicious sides are greater than its abusive sides, another group of people will not agree since they will have another creed of which they conceptualize as more promising due to the fact that its auspicious sides are superlative to its possible inauspicious consequences. Developments occur since people attempt to let dominate and apply the concepts they assume to be the most excellent for humanity. There are no political thoughts that can be mentioned on what all mankind can agree on. This is also considered to be the mental analyses why ideologies are formed, which are constantly in a struggle with each other (Sartori).

In this essay, the focus will be on the theory of Benjamin Barber who claimed that the struggle between the tribalism and globalism forms a threat for democracy. Therefore first of all, the two concepts will be construed separately. The founder of the theory had in h...

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... is a reflection.

Works Cited

Abdullahi Ahmad An-Na’im, Islam, State and Politics: Separate but Interactive, Qatar conferences (2007)

Barber Benjamin, Jihad vs McWorld, How Globalism and Tribalism are Reshaping the World, Ballantine Books (1995)

Henry Clement Moore, Springborg Robert, Globalization and the politics of Development in the Middle East, Cambridge University press (2010)

Huntington Samuel, Clash of Civilizations, Simon & Schuster (1996)

Kaplan D. Robert, The Coming Anarchy, the Atlantic Monthly (1994)

Ritzer George, The McDonaldization of society, Sage Publications (1993)

Sartori Giovanni, Politics, Ideology and Believe Systems, University of Florence (1969)

Zubaida Sami, Islam, the State and Democracy: Contrasting Conceptions of Society in Egypt, MERIP (1992)