The Armed Forces and Shining Path. First Edition

The author comments: "The present volume consists of an introduction and two central works. The introduction presents a set of general ideas on the Partido Comunista del Peru, known as Sendero Luminoso, and its peculiar interpretation of Maoist doctrine; on the profile of the Fuerzas Armadas (FFAA); and on the political context in which violence broke out in 1980. The first work deals with the elaboration and implementation of the State's counter-subversive strategy, going back to the counter-guerrilla experience of 1965 and its subsequent development full of vicissitudes. The second analyzes the failure of SL, the capture of Abimael Guzman and the beginning of the Senderista debacle, with emphasis on the so-called 'strategic equilibrium' that SL set out to achieve during the years 1990-1992. Topics as important as the silent resistance carried out by popular organizations or the important role played by human rights defense organizations are not addressed. Nor is the responsibility of political party leaders, nor, for example, the indolence shown by certain business sectors. These and many other topics will need to be clarified at some point if we truly want to turn the page on one of the darkest chapters of our history." End of quotation.