Question

What is mean by defeat was a detour and not a dead end

Answer 1

may be it means that defeat was a longer route to success but not an end

Answer 2

International law, also called public international law or law of nations, the body oflegal rules, norms, and standards that apply between sovereign states and other entities that are legally recognized as international actors. The term was coined by the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832).