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Shining Path

Shining Path, also known as "Sendero Luminoso" or the Communist Party of Peru for the Shining Path of Jose Mariategui, is considered by many to be the world's most dangerous and violent terrorist organization (Shining Path, a/k/aà, 2000). The group derives its name from Mariategui, a dedicated Marxist, who once stated that Marxism was a "shining path to the future" (Shining Path, a/k/aà, 2000, p. 1). Shining Path has, however, a Maoist orientation and emerged as a splinter party of Peru's Communist bloc. Its goal is to destroy the existing Peruvian government and to establish an Indian-led social system; this goal is to be achieved via a rural-based insurgency, facilitating the formation of a peasant revolutionary regime (Shining Path, a/k/a/, 2000). This brief essay will consider the history, leadership, goals, tactics and targeting, and terrorist connections of Shining Path.

Brief Historical Overview of Shining Path

Shining Path was formed in the later 1960s by a university professor, Abimael Guzmam, with the stated intention of destroying Peru's government and public sector institution and replacing them with a peasant revolutionary regime while ridding Peru of "foreign" influences (Sendero Luminosa (SL)à, 2001). It was not until 1980, however, that Guzman declared an official "prolonged popular war" against the Peruvian government. Initially a small, geographically marginal guerilla group when it launched its activities on the eve of Peru's democratic transition, Sendero's growth in the central Andes paralleled the growth of a large and legal left in Peru. It's subsequent expansion into the Huallaga Valley took place during a progressive government led by Peru's mass-based political party. The Alianza Popular Revolucionaria Americana (APRA), which held power from 1985 to 1990 (Kay, 1999).

Sendero's campaign in Peru intensified, leading to the development of a terrorist campaign including indiscriminate bombings, ki...

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Shining Path. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 16:52, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1687416.html