Adrian O'Connor: On Assassination, Kartoniert / Broschiert

Klappentext

A new interpretation of what assassinations are and why they pose a threat to both people and politics

As a concept, "assassination" is at once familiar, apparently intuitive, and yet vexingly difficult to define. It is also a source of controversy, for while the practice is widely condemned, it has been frequently employed in recent years by state- and nonstate actors alike. Attempts to understand, justify, or curtail these attacks have included recurrent appeals to common sense, attempts to craft ever more technical definitions, and a good deal of legalistic obfuscation and evasion.

On Assassination takes a different tack, offering a historically informed inquiry into the meaning of assassination and its character as a political act. Drawing on examples from around the world and from antiquity to the present, Adrian O'Connor proposes that we understand assassinations as attacks on both individuals and the broader community they represent--and thus as attacks on the very possibility of politics. In doing so, he challenges us to rethink our approach to politics, diplomacy, foreign affairs, and political conflict.

Bringing together history, philosophy, international law, and political theory, On Assassination provides a new framework for examining our current climate of political violence and for reconsidering how we engage our adversaries both at home and abroad.