On 19 February 2003, four days after an international day of protest against the imminent invasion of Iraq, René Major and the Institut des hautes études en psychanalyse organized a public debate in Paris between Jacques Derrida and Jean Baudrillard: ‘Pourquoi la guerre aujourd’hui?’ In the twelve years between the debate and its publication in book form, the ‘war on terror’ has escalated in an often unpredictable manner. However, the discussion between Derrida and Baudrillard has proven to be prescient, and their analyses remain useful for thinking the contemporary geopolitical moment.