The Shining Path also is known as the Communist Party of Peru, but it is also a communist militant group. The terrorist group launched its internal conflict in Peru in 1980. Their initial goal was to replace and remove the bourgeois democracy and replace it with a "new democracy." The group believed that by inducing Cultural Revolution and establishing dictatorship through proletariat and igniting world revolution, they would cause full communism. The party believes that the type of communism existing in socialist countries was entirely revisionist and that the Shining Path would be the torchbearer of the global communist movement. The militant group is classified by Canada, the Peruvian Government, the European Union, and the US as a terrorist organization ( Milton, 2017) . It stands out among terrorist and guerrilla groups worldwide because of their complex and strong organization that has an outstanding grassroots support. The research paper will analyze the Shining path, its history, objectives, ambitions, sources of funds, and its impact locally and globally.
The group was widely condemned because of their brutality and violence against popularly elected officials, peasants, trade union organizers, and the general civilian population. The key objective of the group is to overthrow the current political institutions including the Peruvian government while replacing it with their preferred communist revolutionary command. In 2011, the leader of the group admitted defeat and sought a truce with the Peruvian government. Their leader, Comrade Artemio, requested for dialogue and amnesty. Despite the announcement that the group had conceded defeat, it did not end the fighting. A small section of the group vowed to continue fighting the government and has continued the conflict that had already caused the deaths of over 75000 locals ( Milton, 2017) . The research paper will also offer the lessons learned, tactics used, and policy recommendation on how to deal with the terrorist group.
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Historical background and Development of the Shining Path
The group is also known as Sendero Luminosos. The Maoist guerrilla group was formed and trained by a university professor known as Abimael Guzman in the 1960s. The group’s focus was based on the on the Marxist ideology. Before he formed the group, Guzman taught philosophy at the San Cristobal of Huamanga University. He was active in left-wing politics. Due to Guzman's influence at the university, he attracted many young academicians to his cause of beginning a radical revolution. In the mid-1960s, he visited China and collected various ideas that were highly influenced by Maoist theories ( Englund & Stohl, 2016) . The Maoist theories became the ideological foundation of his terrorist organization. After acquiring and studying various communist ideas, he launched a bloody campaign that was focused on overthrowing the Peruvian government in 1980.
The main objective of Sendero Luminosos is to destroy the current Peruvian political institutions and replace it with their preferred communist peasant revolutionary regime. Also, they resisted influence from other guerrilla groups in Latin America such as the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA). According to analysts, the basic strategy of the terrorist group was to use and spread violence in the country to destroy the country’s imperfect democratic institutions. They also attempted to hinder government-sponsored programs that offer services and aid to locals, prevent Peruvian citizens from participating in democratic processes, and destroy Peru's economy ( Milton, 2017) . After collecting adequate funds, the group had a clandestine meeting that resulted in the establishment of a military school that taught their young recruits basic weaponry use and military tactics. Initially, the group was successful in most of its activities because the Peruvian government was setback by corruption, instability, and they were inadequately prepared to fight internal wars. The war led to many deaths of innocent villagers caught in the crossfire.
The Shining Path began their formal uprising against the Peruvian government in the 1980s after many decades of marginalization and inequality among the peasants. Guzman was their leader, and he based the radical approach in the rural regions of the country where they implemented most of their plans. A similar tactic was used by other terrorist and revolutionary groups such as FARC in Colombia. The tactic is highly effective when a country has a weak government such as in Peru. The armed forces in Peru did not have an adequate physical presence in the rural areas to allow them to deploy effectively against the terrorist group. Inadequate on-site military presence and credibility of the government gave the Shining Path a chance to deploy its forces extensively in the rural areas. Its headquarters were initially situated in the in the mountainous regions of Huanta and Ayacucho ( Englund & Stohl, 2016) . They also extended to south Vilcabamba and central Selva. They launched attacks in Southern Puno and Upper Huallaga valley while severing urban ties with their recruits.
The Current Status of the Shining Path
The capture and imprisonment of Guzman in 1992 caused a rapid decline in the fighting power and strategy of the group. About a year after his capture and life imprisonment, Guzman proposed a peace deal that led to a split of the Shining Path into two groups, one desired to have negotiations while the other desired to continue fighting. Despite the resurgence of the group in the 2000s, they do not present similar power and threat to the country as they once did. However, they still could harass the government through different means. It was suspected that the group had significant control over the Movement for Amnesty and Fundamental Rights (MOVADEF) ( Milton, 2017) . MOVADEF was an organization through which some of the members of the Shining Path used so that they could acquire political party status so that they could obtain amnesty for the former members of the Shining Path. However, MOVADEF canceled their bid for party status.
Despite the rapid decline of the group's activities, the Peruvian government admits that the Maoist group still exists in some rural areas. Although it was much weakened, it still operates in some rural areas, and it was not exterminated as some people believed. It is believed that the Maoist rebel group still has about eighty fighters and 350 members ( Cameron, 2015) . When their then leader, Comrade Artemio, was captured by the army in 2012, President Ollanta Humala announced that the armed forces’ mission against the Shining Path Maoist group was successful and accomplished.
However, in 2015, the Peruvian army rescued about forty people from a farm believed to be owned by the Maoist group who kept them as slave workers. Most of the slave workers in the Shining Path's farm were children. Some of the children who were rescued had been fathered by the rebels. Some of the rescued women admitted that they had lived and worked on the farm for almost three decades. The farm was located in the Mantaro and Apurimac-Ene River Valley ( Palmer, 2017) . The biggest blow to the terrorist group was the arrest of Guzman, their founder, and spiritual leader. After his arrest, Sendero Luminoso dispersed into smaller groups that were mainly involved in drug trafficking. However, the main faction was controlled by Florindo Eleuterio Flores who was mainly known as Comrade Artemio. After Comrade Artemio was arrested in 2012, the group’s activities continued declining rapidly. According to reports, the group is currently led by the brothers Jorge and Victor Quispe Palomino who were indicted in the US because of drug trafficking offenses.
The Future status of the Shining Path
After some years of remaining relatively dormant and quiet, the Shining Path is likely to re-emerge if the Peruvian government does not solve the problems of marginalization and inequality that caused the emergence of the group in the 1960s (Taylor, 2017). The group is more likely to morph into a dormant insurgency that is based on a new support base and effective “armed propaganda” campaign that will focus on building a new mass popular support. Furthermore, it is highly likely to rebrand itself as popular “defenders of coca farmers.” The first move that was aimed at rebranding the group was observed in 2010 when Comrade Artemio began calls for dialogue with the Peruvian government. The message was sent when Comrade Artemio was operating in Huallaga region, and it was an effort to increase or build popular support. He also asked for forgiveness from the families that were affected by the war. He requested talks with Peru's military and civic leaders with the assistance of local and international mediators.
As a consequence of their strategic decisions, the Shining Path is more likely to start concentrating on leadership and doctrine development while expanding the group's relationships with the local population and Peruvian government. Also, they are likely to start cooperating with other external organizations in South America. In its operations, the Shining Path has started developing cadres that will fill their expanding support, political, and military components of their revolutionary movement while consolidating their support and position in the rural areas and slums in the major cities. Tactically, the group is more likely to start operating in small groups that have military, political, and psychological objectives. The small operations will be carefully developed and executed so that they can reduce the credibility of the Peruvian government. If the tactical, strategic, and operational activities of the group are successful, the group may fully morph into a “patriotic party” that is willing and able to reduce marginalization and inequality in the country while forging peace in Peru ( Palmer, 2017) .
The Shining Path and its leadership are highly likely to demonstrate a strong urge and will to “observe” human and civil rights. Although their attempts to transform into a party through MOVADEF were unsuccessful, they may attempt the move again. Its leadership has shown strong commitment and will in an effort to bring “new democracy” to Peru ( Cameron, 2015) . It indicates that there are very many social that should be addressed by the Peruvian government; otherwise, the government risks the full reemergence of the Shining Path. The dream of a country that is free from marginalization, corruption, and inequality is too powerful and strong to wish away.
Their Goals, Aims, Means, Land Reforms, and the Native People of Peru
There is no doubt that the native people of Peru experience brutality from both the Shining Path and the government. The US Department of State stated that the total combined death because of the war that has extended through several decades is about 75000. Most of the fatalities were experienced during the 1980s when the Shining Path under Guzman declared armed insurgency. The total death includes that casualties inflicted on the locals by Shining Path’s recruits, government security forces, and personnel. Initially, the Shining Path was estimated to have a member base of about 15000 people who were mainly recruited from the rural areas and poverty-stricken regions of the country especially from the Quechua speaking area in the highlands ( Cameron, 2015) . Harsh decisions and tactics were a significant step in the group’s skillful and operational propaganda. The tactics were highly successful among people who felt oppressed or had experienced injustices at the hands of the Peruvian government.
An important factor that led to the loss of land and large numbers of casualties during the uprising was the fact that the government could not differentiate the native inhabitants of Altiplano and the Shining Path members because they wore similar native attires. Three years after the insurgency began, President Belaunde declared a 60-day state of emergency where he suspended civil liberties in the affected areas. The police could seize suspected Shining Path members for about ten days without charges or trial (Blake, 2017). Before the Shining Path declared war, the country was attempting to implement democracy, but the declaration of martial law caused a decline in the path to true democracy. Ordinary citizens of Peru were forced to bear the burden of brutality from both the Shining Path and the government. President Belaunde earned a negative image for tolerating human rights abuses.
Moreover, they identified the indigenous and poor populations, whose needs and interests they claimed to have at heart. They forced the peasant farmers to slash commercial production to subsistence levels. Besides, they destroyed all forms of modern equipment owned by the farmers. Also, they imposed puritanical regulations that aimed at prohibiting drinking and outlawing fiestas so that they could force the local populations into submission. Any individual who was disagreed with the puritanical laws or appeared sympathetic with the government was immediately tortured and killed ( Lambright, 2016) . Due to their brutal metamorphosis, the group did not capture the minds and hearts of the native people of Peru. In fact, more Peruvians began supporting the government’s fight against the Maoist group. After Guzman was captured, the targeted assassinations against trade union and leftist officials by the Shining Path dropped significantly. The group's tactic of forcing people into submission failed, and it led to the downfall of the Shining Path.
Similar to other terrorist groups in Latin America such as FARC in Colombia, they funded their activities through forced taxes on individuals and businesses, narco-trafficking, and ransoms from kidnapping. They also forced traders to pay protection fees, and they bought weapons from Colombia. By 2006, they had been ranked 41 in the US list of terrorist organizations (Blake, 2017). They acquired power through fear. By 1983, they often targeted wealthy state agency heads and peasants with the threat of abduction and violence. Moreover, they launched considerable attacks on left-liberal intellectuals, left-wing activists, and grassroots organizers.
Most Important Attacks They Did and Their Implication Globally
At their peak, the Shining Path had members in the entire country including Lima. However, their operations were mainly located in the rural highlands of Apurimac, Ayacucho, and Huancavelica. Some countries were even sympathetic with their cause because they believed that the Shining Path was fighting for a better democracy and living standards for the native people of Peru. Their attacks were not limited to the rural regions of the country. They had attacks on various infrastructure in Lima and killed many civilians in the process. Also, they sabotaged various electrical transmission towers in 1983 causing a blackout in the city. Moreover, they set up a fire that destroyed the Bayer industrial plant. The shining Path set off a powerful bomb that destroyed the offices of the country’s governing party. They also detonated many car bombs in Lima. One of their last major attacks was the Tarata bombing that killed 25 people while injuring over 155 people ( Lambright, 2016) .
One of the key factors that lead to the ultimate failure of the Shining Path was their violence. Their victims experienced harsh treatment. The group often held public or mass executions through stoning. They attracted international concern because of their lethal brutality. The group was turning on the native people who had initially supported their cause. The group had political power that allowed them to disregard any dissent with absolute contempt and brutality. They believed that they had to destroy the society so that they could build a new one based on the Maoist ideology. The guerrilla style of war led to losses of over $20 billion in the entire country ( Palmer, 2017) .
The Shining Path caused the government to enforce unrestricted power in the already stressful economic situation. Over 4.5 million Peruvians were experiencing extreme poverty while lacking gas, sanitation, electricity, and gas ( Lambright, 2016) . Fujimori’s government increased the number of death squads that were tasked with murdering, kidnapping, or torturing people who were members of the Shining Path or appeared to be anti-government. The regime was willing to destroy any form of resistance in the country.
Successful and Unsuccessful Tools Used to End the Shining Path
The culmination of what appears to one of the most idealistically sophisticated capitalist movements world over took numerous ingenious and persistent tools that wound up working in favor of the democratic government. The Peruvian authorities with the help of external anti-capitalist government combined both intelligence and infrastructural resources to cripple a force that aimed to reverse the state of governance, not just in the small South American country, but the entire world. The lengthy period that it took to successfully neutralize the movement marked numerous successful and unsuccessful efforts. Understanding the individual tools is crucial to seeing the strategic successes and failures in a war of national and perhaps international liberation.
Successful Tools
The very first tool was the creation of legislation that allowed the Peruvian government to defend itself from an apparently unprecedented internal threat. In the early years of the activity of the Shining Path, the Rondas were the first group to oppose the ideology of the communist group actively. The Rondas was a group of patriotic peasants who took it upon themselves to defend their country from an imminent internal threat, as they saw the Shining Path. When the national government caught up with the case, they decided to legalize the existence of the then vigilante group through legislation. The federal government hoped that the peasant revolutionaries could provide the first line of defense that the communists would find hard to overcome. Moreover, the Rondas were generally accepted due to their favorable historical roles in Northern Peru communities. After the bill legalizing their existence, the Rondas became officially known as the Committees of Self Defense (Jones, 2004). As such, ordinary citizens felt obliged to defend themselves from the new enemy. This was a significant success.
The Peruvian government then armed the former Rondas with modern weaponry and used the army to train the now modern militia (Jones, 2004). This tool raised the force that the communists had to deal with. As such, the ease upon which the Shining Path had perhaps initially anticipated to take over the country became impossible. The communists had modern weaponry that made them a force to reckon with. The move was made possible by the new legislation that legalized the former vigilante group. This tool lengthened the time in which the active battle between the two sides took place, and perhaps changed the eventuality of the case.
The dispatch of military personnel by the government was another successful tool. Various companies of soldiers were set up in the communist strongholds mostly in Central Peru. The military was the most potent force that the communists would face, and it kept them at bay during the years of significance activity. For example, a state of emergency that denied citizens some of their constitutional rights was declared in Ayacucho ( Drummond, 2008 ). Such limits to the freedoms of a population make it difficult for any organized crimes groups from planning criminal activities. The method significantly affected the actions of the communists, especially in their dominant regions.
Unsuccessful Tools
Initial efforts by the authorities had been unsuccessful. The most conspicuous of these tools is the deployment of the military without the proper supervision of the soldiers. The soldiers violated many human rights of many Peruvians making it appear as more evil than the Shining Path. A reduction of the military activities and the consequent replacement of the soldiers with intelligence agencies did not reduce the atrocities against innocent citizens. The army intelligence and the NIS committed similar crimes that made them unpopular. The nation would take years to recover from the effects of these and other crimes.
Lessons Learned
The importance of unity was the most significant lesson of the nation from the entire struggle. The role that was played by the Patriots was crucial in the weakening of the initially formidable force. The Rondas had stood against the communists due to their love for the nation. The members of this militia came from all ethnic backgrounds. Their unity lay in their patriotism to Peru. On the other hand, when the soldiers and other intelligence officers turned against their fellow citizens during a time of need, they tore the national unity that existed and risked compromising the population’s loyalty to the communists. As such, real solution to the national problem came about when the Peruvians were united against the communist forces of Abimael Guzman ( Singh & Morales, 2016) . Had the government not taken a different path, Peru would have succumbed to the communists.
The importance of reconciliation was another bitter lesson that the nation. Prevention of future animosity between various factions of its population, the government initiated a commission for Truth and Reconciliation. The commission’s task was to investigate the events revolving around the war dating as far back as 1980 up to the turn of the millennium (Theidon, 2006). The commission did numerous investigations into murders and other forms of human rights violations and would later use this information in the persecution of some of the people found guilty. The participants in the atrocities were to face the full wrath of the law if the surviving victims went ahead and pressed charges using the discoveries of the commission and other forms of evidence. Primitive injustices were to be settled using civilized means. As such, the victims had some sense of justice to sooth their memories of suffering.
The commission had been set in place due to the realization of the importance of truth and justice. The commission found that the Shining Path was responsible for a significant number of the crimes. As such, the contributions of the Shining path, other militias, and the government in the atrocities that befell the population were laid in the open (Theidon, 2006). The facts that could be proven led to persecutions, compensations, and forgiveness of various parties involved. The country had figured that without these three, the injustices of the past would haunt the population in the future. Such scenarios can lead to the rise of another civil war as the victims seek the justice that the government denied them after the end of the civil war.
Policy Recommendations
The solutions to problems affecting the entire nation are usually a combination of efforts from the whole population. In the Peruvian case, the nation should persistently seek unity. Togetherness is crucial if the country is to prevent the occurrence of a similar war. Integration will prevent the population from ever being divided. Divisions in the political ideologies led to each party viewing the other as the country’s enemy and deserving of death. Though the differences in opinions will always exist, unity creates the aspect of all parties trying to achieve the greater good. In such a scenario, the communist views that the Shining Path valued could have been decided through a civilized voted. ( Singh & Morales, 2016) Partial or full adoption of their proposed policies could have been possible had they opted for legislative means of guerrilla warfare.
An immediate curative and perhaps preventive measure is the full compensation of the survivors and the victims of the civil war. In as much as unity may mend the divides, the loss of lives, physical injury, and the destruction of property can be compensated for monetarily. The measure cannot reinstall the people or the property to their initial states, but it is a significant step in erasing the feelings of contempt for the current hardships arising from past violence ( Warren, 2018) . The move will cost millions of dollars in taxpayer money, but it will kick start economic recovery due to the compensation.in the long run, this will create national healing and peace. The two when passed to posterity erase a chapter where citizens from various regions had bitterness for each other. The future will be characterized by peace.
The Peruvian society should initiate a project to instill patriotism in the population. The reconciliation should originate from a personal level (Gibson, 2006). Children should be taught from a young age to have an unquestionable love for their country and fellow citizens. Such endearment for country and people minimizes the chances of anyone killing part of the population over ideological differences. It will eliminate the feelings of mistrusts that some communities have for other communities and for the government. Patriotism will eliminate the regional opinion differences that threaten to split the nation and create nationalism that is blind to ethnic or administrative borders. Every citizen will view society and the world as a Peruvian first. Such prioritization of patriotism and its instilment from one’s early years is crucial in promoting unity that cannot be wavered by opinion differences.
The government should construct various commemorative sites that serve to respect the thousands of Peruvians who had to shed their blood for an amicable solution to the civil war to be attained. Physical memorial sites bring to life past events that history may paint as outdated. Ignorance of the realistic nature of such catastrophes risks driving the country down the same path ( Warren, 2018) . Such sites serve as memoirs of how low a state can go if they let personal differences overtake their patriotism and desire for progress. The historic site will also help respect the memory of the people who succumb to the two decades of war in the South American nation. As such, the physical places will be excellent reminders of the importance of peace.
The government should set in place national holidays commemorating specific events of importance to the nation. Such days should be celebrated annually as constant reminders of the tragic events that occurred in the country for two decades. The government should lead the nation in these commemorations that should take place in the commemorative sites ( Warren, 2018) . With such importance, future generations of Peruvians cannot ignore the country’s history. The lessons that the posterity takes from these holidays will prevent them from descending into similar catastrophes in the future. As such, Peru will enjoy the peace that will transcend generations.
Conclusion
The research paper analyzes the Shining path, its history, objectives, ambitions, sources of funds, and its impact locally and globally. It also offers the lessons learned, tactics used, and policy recommendation on how to deal with the terrorist group. Their initial goal was to replace and remove the bourgeois democracy and replace it with a “new democracy.” The capture and imprisonment of Guzman in 1992 caused a rapid decline in the fighting power and strategy of the group. Also, after Comrade Artemio was arrested in 2012, the group’s activities continued declining rapidly. Despite the rapid decline of the group's activities, the Peruvian government admits that the Maoist group still exists in some rural areas. Although it was much weakened, it still operates in some rural areas, and it was not exterminated as some people believed. Due to their brutal metamorphosis, the group did not capture the minds and hearts of the native people of Peru.
One of the main questions that should be addressed by the Peruvian government is how an archaic Maoist sect was against change among most leftists wage war against the government for over three decades while organizing and receiving support in the rural areas. Most researchers argue that if Guzman was not captured, the Shining Path might have sustained its momentum and influence. Their operations were mainly located in the rural highlands of Apurimac, Ayacucho, and Huancavelica. The initial successes of the group are an indicator that the Peruvian government should address poverty, inequality, and marginalization in the country (Blake, 2017). Moreover, the government should respect human and civil rights of its citizens. Although the strength of the group has greatly reduced since the 1980s, peasants still face similar problems they experienced about three decades ago. The dream of a country that is free from marginalization, corruption, and inequality is too powerful and strong to wish away.
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