to prosecute both states and state officials, all of which were non-starters. In the 1930s, they retooled these failed proposals to help create a criminal court that would allow states to prosecute alleged terrorists. (For more on this, see Mark Lewis’ recently published
book, The Birth of the New
Justice: The Internationalization of Crime and Punishment 1919-1950.) That case illustrates that failed proposals can serve as unexpected bridges not only between the global and regional levels, but also between different legal agendas—for instance, ensuring state accountability and bolstering state security....