Reflections for a Peace Strategy for Peru. International Seminar "Political Violence in Peru. Analysis and Perspectives".

The study of terrorist groups and insurgent movements has been limited, in recent years, to those organizations based in Western Europe or in some of the four strategically important centers of the revolutionary core: the Middle East, Central America, Southern Africa and Southeast Asia. Conversely, the revolution of contemporary guerrilla warfare in South America has received very little attention. This is particularly true in Peru, where a unique variety of guerrilla movements has emerged. Peru has always been the regional "melting pot" and testing laboratory for various models of Third World development: the "revolution from above" of 1968 and APRA's position on debt are two typical cases. Another is Sendero Luminoso — an entirely new type of insurgent movement, of which it can be said that it marks the "fourth phase" in the development of revolutionary activity in Latin America. Sendero initiated the armed struggle in 1980, and was then considered by President Belaúnde as a tiny band of "crazy narco-terrorists." (Excerpt from the preface).