THE SENDERO FILE. 1992, from July to November

Established by former atomic scientists in 1945, the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) is a non-profit civic organization concerned with issues of science and society, and international security issues. The Project on Peru seeks greater understanding of Sendero Luminoso's threat to Peru and other countries. FAS President Jeremy J. Stone directs the FAS Fund's Project on Peru. Michael L. Smith edits The Sendero File. EDITORIAL: Focusing on Sendero Although many serious problems bedevil the State and society of Peru, none is more serious than the threat of Sendero Luminoso. Sendero openly strives to destroy the state and its institutions as part of its revolution. Indeed, it requires for its revolution that the Peruvian people shed rivers of blood. Were Sendero's revolution, led by Chairman Gonzalo, a.k.a. Abimael Guzmán, to succeed in overthrowing the Government, the resulting pariahhermit state would have to meet demands for food, health, shelter and employment that, in the modern age, cannot be met in such isolation. As a consequence, millions more could die and others become refugees with enormous suffering over an extended period. We have already seen, in Cambodia, from 1975 to 1978, what chaos results when an extremely radical Maoist group, steeped in ideology but inexperienced in government, somehow finds itself in power. Whether one focuses, as various existing groups do, on maintaining democracy in the hemisphere, or on human rights, or on stemming the flow of cocaine into U.S. cities, Sendero's onslaught threatens to make difficult problems insoluble while raising human and economic costs. The Sendero File will help to focus on the impact and implications of Sendero in all these areas and others