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The following excerpt from Günther Gugel and Uli Jäger draws attention to the limitations of peace education which have to be taken into account if trying to avoid indulging in illusions concerning the effectiveness of peace-educational measures.
"(...) In peace education, how poor the potential is to influence, and how manifold and powerful the influence that counters its aims is, also needs to be realized. For example, in peace education it is accepted that people are not only influenced by the guidance of parents, teachers and educators, but also by everyday experiences, the way in which social life is organized and how problems are dealt with.
That being said, it is paramount that the limitations of peace education are perceived and incorporated into practice so that false hopes and illusions are avoided. Taking the contemporary approach of politics and society to (the) right-wing extremism (of the young) will clarify how narrow the limitations of peace education are even in cases where a large proportion of society condemns right-wing extremism.
Peace education can neither solve basic social problems, or insufficiently or unjustly distributed material resources, nor balance out the neglect of youth education. Peace-educational measures against right-wing extremism are made more difficult when those with political responsibility across parties are not in the position or do not want to create a more friendly climate for foreigners and refugees.
The carpet is pulled out from beneath the feet of peace education if - with the hope of quick solutions - millions are invested in projects that are politically questionable. All hope of living together peaceably remains conjecture if the funds for enlightenment campaigns are reduced, financial support for film projects cut or savings made in the training of educators and teachers.
Peace education requires favorable political conditions that promote its institutionalisation and guarantee continual work. Only then can peace education have the chance to bloom to its fullest. This has never been the case unfortunately, even in prosperous Germany. Hence, the only option open to peace education often is to continually make reference to threatening situations and developments so that they are not forgotten or suppressed, name those responsible, make alternative suggestions and endeavour for major change on a piecemeal basis."
[Günther Gugel / Uli Jäger: Gewalt muss nicht sein. Eine Einführung in friedenspädagogisches Denken und Handeln. 3. Aufl., Tübingen 1997; Internetversion: Link]