Categorizing conflict in Peru: Sendero Luminoso

We should all be wary of our University Professors.  The English writer Theodore Dalrymple wrote: “"the worst brutality I ever saw was that committed by Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) in Peru, in the days when it seemed possible that it might come to power. If it had, I think its massacres would have dwarfed those of the Khmer Rouge.  As a doctor, I am accustomed to unpleasant sights, but nothing prepared me for what I saw in Ayacucho, where Sendero first developed under the sway of a professor of philosophy, Abimael Guzmán."[i] 

The Maosist group Shining Path under the leadership of Abimael Guzmán sought to create a revolution to overthrow the government of Peru.  The bloody conflict is an example of political violence.   Initially, it appears that this conflict is an example of civil war.  However, is the political violence that occurred in the armed conflict involving this group Shining Path and the Peruvian government an exclusive example of civil war, or does it contain elements of other forms of political violence?

The definition given in the book says that a civil war entails an armed conflict within the borders of a sovereign state between two parties who were subject to common authority before the start of the conflict.[ii]  So far so good.  The group Shining Path was formed within the borders of Peru, and faced off against the forces of the government under whose control they were until they rebelled.           

Another critical part of civil wars mentioned in the book is that they are not fleeting.  They last at least a year, and involve at least a thousand deaths.[iii]  A recent report issued by Peru’s Truth and Reconciliation Committee indicated that both the Shining Path and government forces had killed an estimated 70,000 people during the last twenty years.[iv]  Once again, our bases are covered in regard to describing this conflict as a civil war.          

Where it gets interesting and where we start to deviate from being able to call this conflict a civil war is when we take a look at how often citizens were victims of the violence committed by both parties of the conflict.  Brutal massacres took place where innocent civilians, not excluding women and very young children, were killed in large numbers.  Other acts of violence included bomb explosions in populated cities like Lima.  Things get even hazier in the more recent past. The large-scale conflict may have ended, but the Shining Path still exists today.  Attacks have been carried out as recently as this year, and more often than not they are against civilian targets like for example the U.S. embassy or a foreign company.  These types of violent events more closely resemble the definition of terrorism.  The book states that violence by non-state actors on civilians is a distinguishing trait of terrorism.  “Terrorists believe that attacking civilians is more likely to achieve their political goals, instead of conventional attack on the states military forces.  This distinguishes terrorism from civil war, in which non-state actors attack the state’s military capabilities.”[v]  Based on the facts of this conflict, it is difficult to call this an instance of civil war.  Nor does it fit perfectly with the definition of terrorism either due to the fact that the Shining Path did fight against the military of Peru. 

In conclusion, this conflict involving the Shining Path and the Peruvian military contains attributes of two types of political violence.  It bears resemblance to a civil war, and also to terrorism.  Therefore, based on the definitions found in our textbook, this instance of political violence cannot be called either one exclusively.  It cannot apply to just terrorism due to incidents of violence between the Shining Path and the state’s military.  It cannot apply to just a civil war because of the atrocities committed against civilian targets. 

    

Works Cited:

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[i] "Abimael Guzmán." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Aug. 2012. Web. 08 Nov. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abimael_Guzm%C3%A1n>.

[ii] Samuels, David J. "Chapter 10 Political Violence." Comparative Politics. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2013. 257-84. Print.

[iii] Samuels, David J. "Chapter 10 Political Violence." Comparative Politics. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2013. 257-84. Print.

[iv] "Shining Path (Peruvian Revolutionary Organization)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2012. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/540794/Shining-Path>.

[v] Samuels, David J. "Chapter 10 Political Violence." Comparative Politics. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2013. 257-84. Print.