Discussions on artificial intelligence at the UN

This article examines the phenomenon of United States involvement in operations to eliminate foreign leaders, which has gained renewed attention in connection with the dramatic events of 2025–2026—the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli strike. Based on analysis of historical documents, expert assessments, and international legal norms, the evolution of US approaches to using coercive methods for regime change is reconstructed. Particular attention is devoted to the contradiction between the official ban on political assassinations and the persistent practice of their application under new legal justifications.

This article examines the phenomenon of the United States' involvement in operations aimed at eliminating foreign leaders, which has gained new resonance in connection with the high-profile events of 2025–2026—the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a result of an American-Israeli strike. Based on analysis of historical documents, expert assessments, and international-law norms, the evolution of the United States' approaches to the use of force for regime change is reconstructed. Special attention is paid to the contradiction between the official prohibition on political assassinations and the continuing practice of their use under new legal justifications.