In this paper, I criticize the institutional project of global democracy as it is formulated by scholars such as Held, and I instead advocate for a global institutional structure that takes states seriously. I argue that, given the absence of a global public sphere, and the greater diversity and therefore disagreement that exists globally than within societies, the state should occupy an important place in normative proposals for global institutional design. Two broad recommendations follow for the design of public global institutions. First, public global institutions, such as those in the UN system, should provide states with the necessary institutional or infrastructural support to bolster their ability to protect and empower their own citizens. Their task is not to perform such duties – of protection and empowerment – themselves. (In constrast, while Held does recognize the importance of states to a limited extent, he expects that states will ultimately, over time, not remain ‘the sole centers of legitimate power within their own borders.’) Second, public global institutions should actively encourage the development of coalitions of states. In certain instances, a single state will, on its own, be insufficiently strong to protect individual freedom. Consisting of two or more states, coalitions of states may stand a better chance of protecting their citizens from domination by transnational corporations, other states, or NGOs. The meetings organized by public global institutions may function as breeding grounds for the formation of such coalitions.
