Rethinking Noncombatant Immunity

Contemporary just war theorists claimthat it is unethical to target non-combatants such ascivilians because non-combatants are neutral andinnocent. I sketch out the specifics of thisargument, revealing its feudal-era roots, and thenargue that it does not apply to citizens within liberalpolitical theory and liberal societies. Liberalpolitical theory is fundamentally premised on theidea that the citizens of a particular society consentto and authorize the actions their sovereign makes.This, I hold, strips them of any neutrality orinnocence they could claim to have with respect tothe decision of their sovereign to go to war.