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.
Reviews
"On Assassination is one of those rare books that makes you think about a topic in a whole new way. It is an original, provocative, and stimulating take on a timeless yet pertinent subject."—Rory Cormac, author, Fakers
"The study of assassination is a fraught endeavour. O'Connor's book blends political theory, history, and international relations to provide an account that is conceptually persuasive and empirically precise. From Medieval times to present-day assassinations 'by other names,' On Assassination is an exceptional analysis of both the concept and its practice."—Dr. Luca Trenta, Head of Department for Politics, Philosophy, and International Relations, Swansea University, UK
About the Author
Adrian O'Connor is an associate professor of history at the University of South Florida and author of In Pursuit of Politics: Education and Revolution in Eighteenth-Century France.
