Peace education for consensual peace: the essential role of conflict resolution

Peace education is a key for establishing and maintaining a consensual peace. Creating an effective peace education program involves five steps. First, a public education system must be established with compulsory attendance; all children and youth should attend so that students from the previously conflicting groups interact and have the opportunity to build positive relationships with each other. Second, a sense of mutuality and common fate needs to be established that highlights mutual goals, the 'just' distribution of benefits from achieving the goals, and a common identity. In schools, this is primarily done through the use of cooperative learning. Third, students should be taught the constructive controversy procedure to ensure they know how to make difficult decisions and engage in political discourse. Fourth, students should be taught how to engage in integrative negotiations and peer mediation to resolve their conflicts with each other constructively. Finally, civic values should be inculcated that focus students on the long-term common good of society.