ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter presents an overview of the key concepts to be discussed in the subsequent chapters of the book. The book explores the enduring relevance of the League of Nations for the present and future of global politics. It traces the genealogical imprint of the League experiment, its institutional DNA so to speak, to explore its influence on the modern architecture of global governance. In addition to highlighting the critical and often overlooked role of the League in the creation of the United Nations, the book also illuminates a hidden layer of influence of the League in contemporary international politics, which has been the focus of more recent scholarship. In an age in which global governance arrangements, underpinned by cornerstone regulatory institutions, are experiencing increased demand to address major challenges like nuclear proliferation, climate change, or the spread of disease, keen observers of world affairs brood over an increasingly murky future.
