honestly I think the world was just a very different place back when they had their most successful operations. The US had a massive technological advantage over the often very unstable former colonies and war-torn countries rebuilding after the war, borders were looser, electronic surveillance not really an option for many third-world countries. Like, back then, a CIA hit squad could just bring a bunch of guns on a commercial flight, sexually harass the stewardesses, get drunk and pop a few quaaludes, assassinate an African head of state and be back on base by lunch. Can't do that anymore, because of woke.

anyway