Assassination as Statecraft: Political Killing in International Affairs

Why do governments resort to assassination, and what does this practice reveal about power in international affairs? Drawing together insights from two recent books—the co-edited volume "Killing in the Name of the State: State-Sponsored Assassination in International Politics" (2026) and the co-authored study "Ladders of Escalation: Flexible Modeling in Comparative Cases of State-Sponsored Targeted Killings" (2026)—this talk compares cases from France, India, Iran, Israel, Mexico, Russia, and the United States across different political systems and historical periods. It examines how states select targets, conceal or justify operations, cooperate across borders, calibrate escalation, and manage the resulting diplomatic, legal, and political consequences.

On Wednesday, September 16, the Clements-Strauss Intelligence Studies Project (ISP) will host a public event, “Assassination as Statecraft: Political Killing in International Affairs," with Dr. Kiril Avramov, ISP Fellow and Assistant Professor at the Department of European and Eurasian Studies. This event will mark the first of ISP’s Off the Wire series for the fall semester.

• Registration is required. Registrants will receive a reminder about the event.

• Garage parking is available for a fee at the Manor Garage. Parking will not be validated.  

Biography: Dr. Kiril Avramov is an Assistant Professor in the Department of European and Eurasian Studies and a Fellow at the Clements-Strauss Intelligence Studies Project at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). He holds courtesy appointments in the Department of Government and the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

His work sits at the intersection of political science, intelligence studies, disinformation, and political influence. Before joining UT Austin, Dr. Avramov was Acting Vice-Rector for International Relations and Research and Assistant Professor of Political Science at New Bulgarian University in Sofia, Bulgaria. He previously taught at the University of Sofia and held senior leadership roles with Political Capital in Bulgaria and Hungary. Dr. Avramov was a Fulbright Senior Visiting Research Scholar at UT Austin’s Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies from 2015 to 2016. He earned his PhD from the University of Sofia and completed doctoral specialization at the Central European University in Budapest.