In the next in our new series of SPIN podcast episodes, Dr. Luca Trenta discusses the history of US government involvement in assassinations and targeted killings from the Cold War era to today. Dr Trenta shares insights from his research and latest book including the evolving justifications around labels like "assassination" versus "targeted killing", the expanding legal interpretations of self-defense to include imminent and continuing threats, and the role of secrecy in both carrying out operations and publicly legitimizing certain covert actions over time. The discussion provides useful context for understanding the normalisation of practices like targeted killings and how this intersects with issues of secrecy, legal precedents, and international relations.
Further details about Luca's work at: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/staff/l.trenta/
Read Luca's recently released book, The President's Kill List: Assassination in US foreign policy since 1945: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-the-president-s-kill-list.html
Browse Luca's recent activities: https://secrecyresearch.com/2024/10/29/what-has-spin-ster-luca-trenta-been-up-to/
Stream Luca's book launch, hosted by SPIN: https://youtu.be/tO_mS_I8TtQ
SPIN website: https://secrecyresearch.com