Blood of the Condor: The Genocidal Talons of Peru's Shining Path

FOR THE PAST DECADE, THE UNITED STATES HAS LARGELY IGNORED A TOTALITARIAN, KHMER ROUGE-LIKE MOVEMENT IN ITS OWN HEMISPHERE. IN PERU, SENDERO LUMINOSO (THE SHINING PATH), A RADICAL ORTHODOX MAOIST INSURGENCY, IS WAGING A GUERRILLA WAR OF UNPARALLELED BRUTALITY. ALTHOUGH THE SHINING PATH CAUSES ENORMOUS NUMBERS OF DEATH AND SIGNIFICANT DESTRUCTION, IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THE MOVEMENT WILL EVER BE ABLE TO SEIZE POWER IN PERU. NEVERTHELESS, SENDERO IS THREATENING PERU'S FRAGILE DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS AND DRIVING THE COUNTRY DEEPER INTO ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CHAOS. IF THE INSURGENCY REMAINS STRONG, IT COULD GENERATE THOUSANDS OF REFUGEES AND THREATEN THE STABILITY OF OTHER ANDEAN COUNTRIES. PERU MUST SOLVE ITS OWN PROBLEMS. BUT THE UNITED STATES AND OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE HEMISPHERE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY AND AN INTEREST IN SEEING THE SHINING PATH BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL. MODEST AMOUNTS OF U.S. FUNDS AND ADVICE COULD HELP THE PERUVIAN GOVERNMENT EXECUTE ITS ANTI-INSURGENT CAMPAIGN MORE EFFECTIVELY.