some might say that since Iran and the US have been locked in an often covert and globally sprawling conflict since 1979, the word might apply here.

But I think that what “war” means in the sense that it’s used by traditional just war thinkers is something different... /2

Unfortunately, none of the traditional just war thinkers define war in any sort of precise way— other than to suggest that it’s not peace, it’s disorderly, and it involves killing. /3

But my hunch is that in drawing a bright line between war and peace (even without carefully defining those terms as a social scientist might wish!), the canonical just war thinkers were on to something important — the moral importance of knowing whether we’re at war or peace. /4

In war, people know their lives are in danger. They know that low flying plane or drone might be a threat. They worry about who that group of motorcyclists tearing by might be... /5

And that fear, that worry, that awareness that death may be lurking means that soldiers are hyper-aware that their actions have consequences, that their choices may be life or death (for themselves or others). /6

The details of what happened are still unclear, but from the news reports, it sounds like some of Fakhirzadeh’s family was in the car with him when he was attacked. They were wounded.

Of course, that raises questions about civilian immunity, discrimination, & double effect. /7

But it also raises another set of unanswerable questions. If Fakhirzadeh had known he was in war, would have causally set off with his family? If he had known it was war, would have travelled alone? /8

If he had known it was war, would he have continued on with his military work? Or would he have decided on his own not to continue to work on weapons projects— perhaps having seen building them as a worthwhile deterrent, but not an acceptable weapon of war? /9

I don’t know the answers to these questions. But it strikes me that one of the things that is morally problematic about assassination, as opposed to killing in war, is that possibly even Fakhirzadeh didn’t have answers to these questions, because he didn’t know it was war. /10

Of course, there are plenty of good consequentialist arguments against assassination, some broad (one wouldn’t want it reciprocated), some specific (his death is unlikely to set back the program).

But for some reason, this matter of knowing one’s at war is what’s troubling me..