unist Party organization of Shining Path remains underground, victims and the government are powerless to fight back: "Given the virtual absence or intermittent nature of the government's presence, there simply is no one to whom villagers have recourse" (Marks 197). The breadth and depth of Shining Path's organizational forms contributed to the group's effectiveness.
Added to the government's dilemma was the fact that it had, at first, underestimated Shining Path's tenacity and strength. The organization was initially perceived to be no more than a local threat. Shining Path's relatively small size was likewise deceptive. Because the group's ideology was thoroughly indoctrinated into new members, a tight nucleus was formed, which experts described as "sophisticated, well-organized, and self-sustaining" (U.S. Congress, 1992, 42). Peruvian police and military, themselves demoralized by the effects of the country's economic downfall, were powerless to contain the guerrillas. Partly because of the government's initi
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