cut and paste from WIKIPEDIA,
I'd say I pretty much agree this is how real men and nations should fight .
The law of war is a body of law concerning acceptable justifications to engage in war and the limits to acceptable wartime conduct . The law of war is considered an aspect of public international law (the law of nations) and is distinguished from other bodies of law, such as the domestic law of a particular belligerent to a conflict, that may also provide legal limits to the conduct or justification of war.
Among other issues, modern laws of war address declarations of war, acceptance of surrender and the treatment of prisoners of war, military necessity along with distinction and proportionality, and the prohibition of certain weapons that may cause unnecessary suffering.
Some of the central principles underlying laws of war are:
* Wars should be limited to achieving the political goals that started the war (e.g., territorial control) and should not include unnecessary destruction;
* Wars should be brought to an end as quickly as possible;
* People and property that do not contribute to the war effort should be protected against unnecessary destruction and hardship;
To this end, laws of war are intended to mitigate the evils of war by:
* Protecting both combatants and noncombatants from unnecessary suffering;
* Safeguarding certain fundamental human rights of persons who fall into the hands of the enemy, particularly prisoners of war, the wounded and sick, and civilians;
* Facilitating the restoration of peace.
in my mind this is a pretty good outline.
of course there is always the other argument - perhaps war should be so horrendous without any laws that Men will seek peaceful solutions to their conflicts instead of ever thinking of going to war with each other.
