hining Path] advanced slowly if at all" (U.S. Congress, 1992a, 29).
The democratic election of Peruvian President Alberto Fujumori brought dramatic improvements to the country's economy, but by this time Shining Path's expansion appeared unstoppable. The group even stepped up its activities in Lima, which shook the government's confidence. Nevertheless Fujimori swore that he would wipe out the terrorists: "after several years of striking out blindly against the population, the state began to reformulate its counterinsurgency strategies" (Izaguirre 2).
A particularly effective technique used by Fujimori was the establishment of "faceless courts." Judges in such courts were able to try terrorist suspects while remaining anonymous. The zeal with which these courts operated, however, raised concerns in the world community: "[Peru has] jailed more than 4,000 people for terrorism, often on thin evidence and with little due process. Human-rights groups say a quarter of these prisoners may be innocent" ("Shining," 1). The government countered that extreme measures were needed to suppress terrorism; Shining Path is one of several guerrilla groups active in Peru.
Shining Path met with much success in its early stages because of its preference for operating in geographic situations where political vacuums existed, namely rural areas with little or no government presence. A few armed Shining Path members move into the area and establish contacts with the community through relatives or acquaintances. This lends legitimacy to the terrorists. Once a number of converts have been secured, Shining Path forms the nucleus of a Popular Committee. Each committee has a leadership of a handful of individuals who manage security, production, communal matters, and organization. The committee maintains control over the population based on its ability to call on the support of Shining Path's terrorist specialists. Because the local Comm...