What Does It Take for Sworn Enemies to Make Peace?

When conflicts exist all over the world, how can enemies achieve peace? This lesson takes a closer look at key approaches that were used to make peace in the past, why it is so difficult to achieve, and ways to maintain peace that apply now and into the future.

Using a 23-minute-long video and guiding questions and activities, this lesson looks at examples of how peace has been achieved by Egypt and Israel in the 1970s and by Protestant unionists and Catholic Nationalists in Northern Ireland in the 1990s. This study will enable students to better understand the individuals, circumstances, and processes that contributed to the peace process. Students will explore the power of treaties and agreements, the ways that leaders and mediators break deadlock and build trust, and the ongoing effort to sustain peace.

In addition to the video, this lesson contains learning activities, reflection prompts, discussion questions, and ten questions and answers that can be used for review or to gauge students’ mastery of the topic.