Terrorism and Political Assassinations: A Transnational Assessment, 1968-80

The international system is experiencing a growing amount of terroristic violence. During the past five years there has been a marked increase in the yearly number of politically inspired assassinations of prominent public figures. This study presents the results of a seven-year, cross-national survey of political assassinations. An analysis of 721 events reported in 123 nations for the period concludes that there are definite trends and patterns of political assassinations that may provide important lessons for public policymakers. Certain nations, targets, and terrorist actors account for a large portion of all assassination activity. Statistical analysis suggests that the academic community may have to rethink its ideas about assassination behavior in general and its relationship to the issue of development in particular. No evidence could be generated by the study to link terrorist-inspired assassinations to the developing world nor was any international network of assassins discovered. The findings point to growing levels of separatist-inspired violence and a distinct shift in target selection toward the international business community and the diplomatic corps. Terrorists appear to be increasingly successful because they are targeting relatively unprotected public individuals.