Essay Sample on Shining Path

Introduction

Movements turn into terror organizations if they engage in violence, propaganda, and ultimate war tactics in the course of articulating their agenda. However, governments and related security organizations often respond fiercely to establishments deemed threatening security nationally or even globally. The rise of Shining Path into terror organization can get associated with its radicalized nature of activities in their quest for spreading the communist ideology in Peru. The establishment struggled to initiate war-related activities towards the government of Peru despite ruthless response that the state's military and mercenary made against them. Studies indicate that Sendero Luminoso thrived on ideological differences between the democratic government of Peru and the fanatic insurgents under the reign of Abimael Guzman. The terror establishment threatened to collapse Peru as it continued to spread its communist ideology. For instance, the hallmark of its attacks showcased at the arrest of its founder Guzman. It is on this background that this case study analyzes Shining Path from the standpoint of its ideology, aims, tactics, activities, recruitment, propaganda, financing and the various countermeasures taken against it by Peru government and other international institutions.

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Sendero Luminoso developed into terror-linked institution using certain strategies that left security agents unaware of its operations. For instance, it began as a political outfit keen on championing the communist agenda at the time when leading nations focused on capitalism. It lobbied its members in believing that it remained a revolutionary entity keen on establishing a government that acknowledges and practices communism. However, the support that Peru received from the developed world including the U.S made its founders to intensify their tactics if it needed to continue with its operations. While their opponents construed and referred to the Shining Path as a criminal insurgent, their leaders began contemplating unleashing violence against the state and any of their opponents (De, 2013). For instance, the period of 1980 saw its first violent incident in which the election materials including ballot boxes got destroyed through fires. The election process in certain remote parts of Peru got massively interrupted. Political and security observers argue that perhaps the Shining Path wanted to establish its relevance in the politics of Peru by instigating violence on the elections day.

The devastating impact of the violence got understood by the many lives lost and property destroyed. It drew concern from the international community and the insurgents required to re-strategize their plans as the government-sponsored a ruthless attack against them and their sympathizers (Carrion, 2006). The Shining Path maintained a public presence while initiating guerilla war tactics. The parallel tactics of guerilla warfare and public admittance of their operation as a revolutionary organization got deliberately crafted to sustain it. For instance, the founder of the terror institution wanted to legitimize it by publicizing its operations and ideology. It is believed that more members could join it in its course as its public nature aimed at legalizing it (Gorriti, 1999). However, the guerilla tactics kind of war ensured that the government soldiers never captured the insurgents as they actively engaged the state. The effectiveness of the guerilla tactics saw the Shining Path rise faster in resisting and ultimately collapsing the imperfect democracy that characterized Peru's leadership. The expertise that Guzman possessed by virtue of his teaching profession helped in crafting various plans and programs for the institution. For instance, most of the activities and plans of the Shining Path remained secretive which is attributed to the great expertise of Guzman.

Shining Path aimed at spreading communism ideals while weakening the government of Peru. Apart from the active war that the insurgents advanced against the state, the founders of the terror institution sustained a propaganda policy aimed at discrediting the leadership practice of Peru government. Guzman took advantage of the instability and rising incidents of corruption to topple the government. Most recruits came from the youth population and attended the military school that got formed by the Shining Path (De, 2013). It waged warfare against perceived enemies of communism due to the weak nature of the state's military.

Guzman remained remotely engaged in the activities of the organization. He initiated various rituals for the group to remain focused and united in its course of capturing the state with its mercenaries. Guzman learned from other revolutionary organizations like FARC of Colombia and Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement the art of fighting. Guzman utilized his philosophical knowledge in appealing to the poorer in remote and urban areas of Peru to recruit their children in the terror group (Gorriti, 1999). He romanticized the group's propaganda which attracted many radicalized youths. For instance, he construed their fight against anti-communism as 'blood quota.' It got understood that the violence used by the terror group against their opponents represented a course worth dying for as it mobilized resources in committing atrocities further. The activities of the terror group got supported through proceeds from the sale of narcotics.

Nevertheless, the vicious attacks coming from the Shining Path alarmed the international community and Peru government at large. For instance, Peru government initiated specific strategies that it deemed fit in containing the rise of narcotic trade where most of the Shining Path's aid came. The 1992 killings through a car bomb detonated by the Shining Path insurgents angered the government to the extent that it lobbied the international community against the terror group (White, 2013). Alberto Fujimori became very bitter with the group and unleashed sustained attacks against the guerilla soldiers of the terror group. The then president organized local vigilantes in unleashing violence in the highlands of Andean that never supported Shining Path's course of spreading communism.

The government further reorganized its operations with the Peruvian police acting strictly on the insurgents. It did not take long before the security agents rounded and arrested the terrorist's founder and leader. Guzman got captured in Lima in an attempt to dismantle the group. Indeed his arrest destabilized the operations of the organization but did not stop entirely as a new commander came on board (Ezrow, 2017). The Peruvian police raid got fierce, and shortly the new leader Oscar Ramirez got arrested alongside Guzman and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Since most of the organization's support came from the sale and use of narcotics, the government crafted radical measures to end it altogether. The state through the support of the international community is instead expanding coco plantation to keep its population busy and engaged leaving them with no time for criminal activities like joining terror groups such as Sendero militants (White, 2013). Additionally, more Sendero leaders continue to get arrested leaving little obstacle in the war against the terror group. Recently, Peruvian police captured Florindo Eleuterio and assassinated both Gabrieli together with Alipio to completely dismantle and weaken the group.

The government supported its civilians in acquiring weapons for self-defense against the militants. The citizens, particularly in the remote regions of Piura, organized themselves in different groups providing security for one another while fighting the remnants of Sendero militants. The U.S on the other part as global aid provider initiated a raft of policies in containing the activities of the insurgents (Carrion, 2006). It controlled extensively the use and sale of narcotics not only in its territory but also on the international markets. It also initiated an inquest into the killings of genocide magnitude in Cambodia and other parts of Peru. It highlighted many possible reasons as to what led to the rise in the militancy in Peru with corruption and weak governance topping the list (Ezrow, 2017). The U.S started helping Peru government in various ways including fighting corruption that led to the isaffection of the militants. It also helped in training the Peru soldiers to sustain a war against the militants. It put pressure and helped in eliminating certain criminal elements and giving la ife sentence to surviving ones to end the militant's operations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, terrorism remains an existing problem that continues to cause pain and anguish to the many citizens across the world. Peru remains a country that can attest to the devastating effects of the terror elements that it suffered. The Shining Path remains one of the once strongest terror militants that caused havoc in various parts of Peru in its quest for spreading communism ideology. It thrived under the reign of Guzman despite government's vicious attacks against it. It used various tactics in establishing and running its operations despite constant obstacles that faced it. However, the Peru government and international community countered its operations by destroying the narcotic business that supported it. Therefore, this paper has showcased a case study that highlights the various aims, tactics, financing strategy of the Shining Path and how the government and the international world countered it.

References

Carrion, J. (2006). The Fujimori Legacy: The Rise of Electoral Authoritarianism in Peru. University Park, Pa: Pennsylvania State University Press.

De, L. P. T. R. (2013). Wars of Latin America, 1982-2013: The Path to Peace.

Ezrow, M., N. (2017). Global Politics and Violent Non-State Actors. Los Angeles.

Gorriti, E. G. (1999). The Shining Path: A History of the Millenarian War in Peru. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

White, J., R. (2013). Terrorism and Homeland Security. Cengage Learning. Social Science.