In this episode, we interview Dr Luca Trenta on the topic of assassinations as a tool of governments. Dr Trenta is an Associate Professor in International Relations in the Department of Politics, Philosophy, and International Relations, Swansea University. His research focuses on the US government’s involvement in the assassination of foreign officials from the Cold War to the present day. He is widely published in the field of covert action, foreign policy, risk, and presidential decision-making, and his latest book, “The President’s Kill List: Assassination in US foreign policy since 1945” is available from Edinburgh University Press.
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Books and media mentioned during the episode, and suggestions for further research on this topic:
Additional reading suggestions can be found on our 2025 geopolitical reading list.
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The hosts:
Lewis Sage-Passant is a researcher in the field of intelligence and espionage, and a former British Military Intelligence Officer. Lewis holds a PhD from Loughborough University in intelligence studies, and is an adjunct professor in intelligence at Sciences Po Paris. He has extensive experience working and living in the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions in a variety of geopolitical analysis and intelligence roles, supporting the energy industry, the financial sector, leading technology firms, and the pharmaceuticals sector. He has appeared in numerous media outlets, including the BBC, France24, CNBC, Harvard Business Review, The New Arab, El Mundo, GQ, and others, discussing intelligence, geopolitics, and security topics.
Colin Reed is a geopolitical risk adviser working in the US technology sector, specialising in strategic intelligence and global planning for businesses and executives. In his current role he works to identify, assess, and inform senior technology leaders on emerging topics of geopolitical & economic significance, and chairs an intra-business Geopolitical Strategy Council which works to align company posture to global events. He is a dual graduate of both Russian History and International Relations from North Carolina State University and a postgraduate in International Security from Georgetown University. Colin previously worked for the US government and engages regularly with industry groups and security professional associations on the intersectionality of multinational business and international affairs.
The production team:
Producer: Edwin Tran
Additional credit goes to several unnamed members of the Encyclopedia Geopolitica team, as well as our colleagues in the intelligence and security community who helped to make this podcast possible.
If you liked this episode, don’t forget to sign up to our mailing list and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice. Please also consider supporting our work via Patreon. While the topics we discuss here are often shrouded in secrecy and security classifications, we really hope you’ll tell your friends about us!
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