Assassination : a history of political murder / Lindsay Porter.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Assassination - the politically motivated killing of high-profile individuals - has always been part of the struggle for power, from the removal of tyrants in Classical civilizations to the state-sanctioned "decapitation strikes" of the present day. Chillingly effective as a political tool, assassination is also immensely compelling as an idea. This book examines the concept of political murder, asking questions such as: What did Julius Caesar's death mean to the Romans? How can assassination be justified? Have our attitudes towards it shifted through time? And why do the circumstances surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy continue to haunt our collective consciousness?"--BOOK JACKET.