Introduction.The question of why the United States periodically resorts to the violent elimination of leaders from other states has returned to the center of global attention following the dramatic events of early 2026. In January, US special forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and in late February, a joint US-Israeli strike led to the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. These actions, characterized by many experts as unprecedentedly open violations of international law, compel an examination of the history of this issue and an attempt to understand the logic guiding Washington in making such decisions. I. Historical Retrospective: From the Cold War to the Church Committee.The practice of US interference in the internal affairs of other states with the aim of removing undesirable leaders has a long history dating back to the Cold War period. Declassified documents and numerous studies show that US intelligence agencies developed operations against Fidel Castro in Cuba, Patrice Lumumba in Congo, Ngo Dinh Diem in Vietnam, and other leaders. Methods ranged from poisoned cigars and exploding seashells to collaboration with local conspirators and direct support for military coups. The culmination of awareness regarding the scale of these activities came with the Church Committee report, published on November 20, 1975. The Senate investigation led by Frank Church presented the public with evidence of CIA involvement in plots to assassinate foreign leaders for the first time. The committee concluded that assassination is incompatible with American principles, international order, and morality, and must be rejected as an instrument of foreign policy. In response to the report, President Gerald Ford signed an executive order prohibiting US government employees from participating in political assassinations, and subsequent presidents have reaffirmed this ban. II. Legal Mechanisms for Circumventing the Ban: Doctrine and New Justifications.Despite t ... Читать далее