Full Idea
We must begin by insisting upon the rules of war and by holding soldiers rigidly to the norms they set. The restraint of war is the beginning of peace.
Gist of Idea
We can only lead war towards peace if we firmly enforce the rules of war
Source
Michael Walzer (Just and Unjust Wars [1977], Afterword)
Book Reference
Walzer,Michael: 'Just and Unjust Wars' [Penguin 1984], p.335
A Reaction
Last sentence of his book. Some cultures have a much greater tradition of ruthless cruelty than others, it seems. Most war ethics seems to concern how the good guys should respond to the bad guys (since the latter hardly care).