Assassination in International Politics

The murder of the mighty has a long, if not an honorable, history as a political technique. For reasons not altogether clear, the horror of the act-violence out of time, out of context, the slaughter of the appointed of God or the people, the swift sword out of the dark-has long fascinated the artist and author rather than the scholar. Murder as a means for political gain seems immoral-an act against nature. Yet it has been not only a frequent act, but also a generally catholic one as well, including among its victims those of all creeds and races, from all empires and nations, from every era, not the least our own. Caesar and Lincoln, Canterbury and Marat, Gandhi, Alexander II, Nero and Francis Ferdinand all were common victims. A Prime Minister