ASSASSINATIONS

Why did the CIA try to kill an African political leader with poisoned toothpaste? How did a sturdy couch save a leader from being killed during an elaborate plot involving a self-sinking boat and a collapsing ceiling?

Assassinations are as old as human history. As long as people have wielded power, others have tried to knock them out of it by killing them. In this episode, we explore assassinations from ancient Rome to modern Venezuela. What effect do assassinations have on democracy? Why did the CIA try to assassinate a prominent African leader with a poison tube of toothpaste? Was the recent assassination attempt on Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro a genuine attempt or a pretext that the regime created to crack down on dissidents and consolidate power? Do leaders shape history or does history shape leaders? And why was a journalist fighting for democracy in Iraq murdered as he tried to find cell phone signal on a rooftop in northern Iraq? The answers, on episode 9 of POWER CORRUPTS.