ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that liberal political theorists need not face this dilemma, because liberal justice and legitimacy are not distinct values. It suggests under real-world circumstances – characterized by conflicts and disagreements – equal respect demands basic-rights protection and democratic participation, which is called 'political justice'. The chapter considers three possible configurations of the global order – the 'democratic world-state', 'independent democratic states', and 'mixed' models – and also argues that a commitment to political justice speaks in favour of the latter. It focuses on the conceptions of justice and legitimacy defended by liberal political theorists: distributive egalitarianism and democracy. The chapter lay outs the distinction between the concepts of justice and legitimacy. The line between the substantive and the procedural demands of equal respect is to be drawn in correspondence with those matters of justice over which there is reasonable disagreement.
