The Bunker – News without the nonsense From Caesar to JFK – How assassinations have shaped the world
Aug 6, 2025
In this insightful discussion, Simon Ball, a Professor of International History and Politics at the University of Leeds and author of *Death to Order: A Modern History of Assassination*, delves into the complexities of political assassinations. He explores how pivotal moments like the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand ignited global conflicts. The conversation also highlights the evolution of assassination as a state policy, the unique methods used, and the repercussions such acts have had on society, including increased violence and division.
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Defining Assassination
- Assassination is an organized conspiracy to kill an individual for political purposes.
- It differs from terrorism as it targets specific individuals, not random masses.
Power of Persistent Assassinations
- Persistent assassination campaigns targeting intelligence or police personnel can severely weaken state security.
- These campaigns may cause long-term operational blindness, as seen in British intelligence in Aden in the 1960s.
Assassinations and Power Vacuums
- A single assassination rarely creates a power vacuum in stable states.
- Power vacuums appear mainly in fragile states dependent on one key leader.
