Jihad means struggling in the name of Allah Almighty.  Jihad doesn't always mean a war or battle.  Any mean for spreading Islam and the Truth, or to fight for what is right and condemn what is wrong (such as fighting the bad and helping the oppressed even if they were not Muslims) are considered Jihad.

Islam is not a religion of arms and swords!  When Allah Almighty revealed the Noble Quran to Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, and Muhammad became the Messenger of GOD Almighty, Muhammad had to spread Islam to 365 Pagan Arab Tribes.  These tribes showed so much hostility toward the Muslims and Islam, and have imposed so many battles against the Muslims. 

Later, when Islam was the religion of what we call today Saudi Arabia, and the 365 Pagan Arab tribes mostly converted to Islam, the Muslims had to yet face another type of challenge.

The Nuclear Soviet Union and the United States of America of our days were the Great Empires of the Christian Romans and the Pagan Persians.  If you know geography and history well enough, then you would see that the Muslims were trapped between those two big Super Powers.

Hostility and Battles from those two Empires were imposed upon the Muslims.  For instance, when our Prophet peace be upon him sent his messenger to "Kisrah", the Emperor of Persia, introducing Islam to him, Kisrah ordered for the Muslims' Messenger to be executed!

Back then, like today, this was considered a coward act.  It was the Persians who showed the hostility toward the Muslims and declared the many battles against Islam.

The Christian Romans weren't any better.  For instance, in one of their many battles against the Muslims is when they saw the threat to their religion in the Middle East, the King "Herucl", sent out an army of 100,000 men and ordered them to go to "Madina" in what we call today Saudi Arabia to destroy Islam once and for all.

The Muslims were not stable yet at that time, and they only sent out an army of 3,000 men at that time to drive the Christian Romans away from Madina.  The battle was named "The battle of Mo'ta" and it took place in Mo'ta, Jordan today.

The Muslims' plan was to meet the Christian Romans far away from Madina, and to have them stray away from Madina.  The army of 3,000 men was successful enough to fight the Christian Romans for few days and then to pull away from the battle and headed South of Jordan.  The Romans strayed away from Madina and the small army of the Muslims was able to run away through the mountains.  More than half of the 3,000 Muslims however were killed in this operation.

The point is that Islam didn't spread by sword with much choice.  The wars were imposed upon the Muslims. The Muslims didn't ask for those wars.