Rules of War?

I heard Senator John McCain say during an interview, “It was a violation of the rules of war.” He was referring to the gas attack by Assad’s forces in Syria.

THE RULES OF WAR! What about rules of peace? You would think by this time in our technological and spiritual progression; humankind would have a different set of rules. Rules of peace.

What the Assad regime did was barbaric, cruel and a crime against humanity. He and those participating in this reprehensible act should and will be held accountable. I believe President Trump’s decision to bomb the offending airbase was a measurable response of global indignation. It was an emotional response, not a policy projection.

But back to my question. Why do we have rules of war? Why are we still a bellicose society? I can answer my question by the following startling statistic.

The United States is 240 years old. We have been at war, in some form or another for 219 of those years. To say it another way, since our founding, there has been only 21 calendar years of no war.