In this week’s Friday Focus, Rudyard and Janice start off talking about the dangerous situation in the Middle East. After two high profile assassinations by Israel on leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah, there is a real threat of escalation and a coordinated attack against Israel. What goes on behind the scenes when the decision is made to assassinate a number one like Ismail Haniyeh? And how are these decisions weighted against the desire to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza? In the second half of the program, Janice and Rudyard discuss Venezuela’s sham election, and specifically how autocrats like Nicolás Maduro use elections to further diplomatic goals and ease sanctions. Do Western democracies lose credibility by falling into this trap, or gain respect from neighbouring countries thereby incentivizing them to adopt more democratic systems of governance?