Upcoming collections
Peru: Human Rights, Drugs and Democracy, 1980-2000
Peru: Human Rights, Drugs and Democracy, 1980-2000 is a uniquely detailed collection of records documenting U.S. foreign policy at work in Latin America, as well as the fascinating story of domestic politics in Peru. Incorporating the latest U.S. government releases, which significantly enrich the historical record, these documents, virtually all previously classified, provide a compelling primary-source portrait of Peru's civil war, internal repression, and growing authoritarianism during three successive Peruvian administrations, as witnessed by the U.S. embassy in Lima, U.S. military officials, and U.S. intelligence. Simply put, there is no available compilation of materials on the subject that comes close to the quality and extent of coverage provided by this collection.
The set is notable for both its size and content. It includes close to 2,000 documents, collected from archival sources, hundreds of FOIA requests, and direct State Department releases to Peruvian truth and congressional commissions. While a few contextual documents are included from the 1960s and 1970s, the bulk of documentation from this collection begins with the 1980 inception of civil war between insurgent militants from the Shining Path (and later from the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement-MRTA) and official and non-official government forces. The documents chronicle human rights violations committed by both insurgent forces and the military, focusing on key cases pinpointed by the Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This includes State Department cables describing interviews with Peruvian police and military officers, who detailed their direct participation in torture, extrajudicial executions, and attempted bombings.
The documents reveal the growing political crisis faced by consecutive Peruvian presidents Fernando Belaunde, Alan Garcia and Alberto Fujimori. While the civil conflict began to recede with the capture of key Shining Path leaders, including Abimael Guzman in 1992, the set also delves into the full span of political events and scandals from Fujimori's 10-year mandate, culminating in the latter's flight to Japan and later trial on charges of human rights abuse and corruption. Of particular interest in this regard are the 1992 autogolpe (self-coup), when Fujimori suspended Congress and dismantled the Constitution, and later corruption scandals such as National Security Advisor Vladimiro Montesinos' involvement in 1998 arms smuggling to the insurgent guerrilla organization FARC, and the electoral fraud and bribery scandals from the 2000 elections which essentially brought down Fujimori's regime. The set also explores in detail key aspects of U.S. military, anti-drug and human rights policies toward Peru, which serve as case studies of the complexities of contemporary United States' involvement in Latin America. A notable example with continuing policy ramifications was the evolving counter-narcotics program waged with U.S. assistance in Peru.
