Piura in the New Andean Chessboard: Security, Elections, and Geopolitics

In recent weeks, Peru has begun to occupy a different place on the strategic map of the United States and the Andean region. This is not the result of a single event, but rather a convergence of signals: FBI and DEA delegations arriving in Lima, a presidential meeting with Ecuador focused on transnational crime, an ongoing presidential and congressional election process, and—according to Bloomberg—the intention of Washington to designate Peru as a Major Non-NATO Ally.

 

Taken separately, these developments might appear circumstantial. Taken together, they point to a shift in phase in the relationship between security, domestic politics, and regional geopolitics. And this shift directly affects territories such as Piura, a strategic region in northern Peru.

 

Piura is located on Peru’s northern Pacific coast, bordering Ecuador by land. It covers approximately 35,900 square kilometers and is home to about two million people, making it one of Peru’s most populous departments. Its geography—combining border crossings, ports, highways, agricultural valleys, and informal trade routes—turns Piura into a key node for both legal commerce and illicit flows.

 

The organized crime affecting Ecuador and increasingly spilling into Peru no longer follows the traditional drug-trafficking model. Criminal networks have diversified their revenue streams into illegal mining, human trafficking, arms trafficking, and extortion schemes such as the so-called “gota a gota” loansharking system. This diversification allows them to finance operations, control territory, and penetrate local economies. The result is a transnational criminal ecosystem that ignores administrative borders.

 

The December 12 meeting between the presidents of Peru and Ecuador in Quito must be read through this lens. Ecuador speaks from hard-earned experience: armed gangs, ports under criminal influence, and prisons turned into power centers. Peru—particularly its northern regions—still has a window of opportunity to avoid a similar scenario, but only if it acknowledges that the threat is already shared.

 

At the same time, the presence of FBI and DEA delegations in Lima signals a meaningful shift. The United States is no longer waiting for institutional collapse before engaging, as it has in other cases. Instead, it is pursuing strategic prevention, built on intelligence sharing, law enforcement cooperation, and political alignment. In that context, the potential designation of Peru as a Major Non-NATO Ally is not merely symbolic; it would formalize deeper military and security cooperation.

 

An additional, uncomfortable layer cannot be ignored: electoral politics. Peru is heading into presidential and congressional elections, and Bloomberg has reported that the Trump administration has openly pressured countries undergoing electoral processes to align with its agenda, conditioning support and withdrawing traditional cooperation mechanisms such as USAID. There is no public evidence of direct electoral intervention, but there is a clear reconfiguration of the political environment, where hard security policies and international alignment gain prominence over social agendas.

 

This pattern bears resemblance—albeit with important differences—to dynamics not seen since the Cold War. The tools are no longer coups or overt interference, but indirect pressure, selective cooperation, and plausible deniability. The adversary is no longer ideological, but criminal; the logic of alignment, however, remains.

 

For Piura, this is not an abstract debate. As a border region with Ecuador, a commercial hub with ports and road networks, and an area where extortion and illicit economies are expanding, Piura stands at the frontline of this strategic shift. Increased international cooperation may bring stronger state presence and enforcement, but it also carries the risk of overly punitive responses if not paired with economic development and institutional strengthening.

 

The core question is no longer whether geopolitics reaches Piura. It already has. The real issue is whether Piura will remain merely a stage where externally designed strategies are applied—or whether it can become a conscious territorial actor, capable of demanding that security be built not only through operations, but through development, governance, and sustainable territorial control. 

#LiveConnection September 9th, 2022

 

I decided to wwebcast today because the recent developments worldwide. And that’s the reason why I’m not in the roof but my newsroom.

On September 8^th, EDT, Queen Elizabeth II passed away in Scotland. She was 96 years old. She led the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for 70 years. For the people who don’t know, that’s the official name of the UK.

Figure out what a portion of history we’re talking about. While I’m webcasting this to you, funerals are going on.

Charles III is the new British king. Taking apart the controversies, we can’t deny late Elizabbeth II has been one of the most prominent icons of the second half of 20^th century. Obviously, what is running of 21^st century too. Maybe you disagree monarchy, but the historic fact is so.

It wasn’t the only lose on September 8^th. Here in Latin America, Argentinians aare mourning.

Marciano Cantero, lead vocal of Los Enanitos Verdes, passed away just on 8^th. He suffered from a kidney condition, according to sources.

Maybe Los enanitos Verdes doesn’t mean anything to you. But in Latin American context, we are talking about one of the most representative bands of Latin American Rock. They were part of the so called Argentinian Wave. Soda Stereo, GIT, Fito Paez, or Charly Garcia are part of that. Their hegemony flooded our ears in the 1980s. It continued beginning 1990s.

You can get all them on your favorite streaming platform. Inclusive, there are documentaries you can’t miss. If you don’t know how to spell all these names in Spanish, just leave me a comment on this video. I will help you about. Or if you are watching me on Facebook, and you prefer some discretion, get me on the chat.

On Sunday, when we usually connect, there’s another commemoration. Yes,the 9/11. On September 11^th, 2001, four planes were hhijacked in East Coast airports. Two were crashed into the Twin Towers in New York. Other ccrashed the outer section of the Pentagon in Washington DC. The fourth one is belief the passengers took control and crashed at Pennsylvania countryside. It’s not clear what its target was.

For the people over 30 around the globe, this memory is still alive like it happened yesterday. For the youngest, YouTube still holds the full live broadcasts. So you can follow the facts are as they happened, or at least, as they were informed.

In Latin American context, that same day but in 1973, Chile’s President Salvador Allende died during a coup. It was led by Augusto Pinochet, who became a dictator until 1990. Recently, onSunday 4^th, Chile vboted to change the Constitution promoted and approved by Pinochet. The new version was disapproved by 61% of voters.

September seems to be a historic month, doesn’t it? I think all those facts must move us to reflection. Are we letting others write that history? Are we writing it? What’s your position?

What I have clear is as the history is happening, I’m going to report it as possible and right as I can. That’s my job.

By the way, I talked you about music on this video. So I want to invite you to go to factortierra.blogspot.com There’s a pretty story about for guys in Piura who joined to make polyphonic music.

Finally, about September, what other anniversary or commemoration this month brings on to your memory? Let me know in the comments box just on this video.

Meanwhile, I thank all the people who joined me until this right moment. Let mme know what other issues you are interested to discuss.

  

#LiveConnection August 28th, 2022

There are many little things we can do at home to save money and care the planet. One of them is checking out how we are using the water. This precious resource allows life in most cases. The problem is that’s not infinite.

Even when ¾ parts of our planet are basically water, especially if you live around the Pacific Ocean, the actual fact is that the amount is becoming shorter for almost 8 billion people living in the planet.

For years, different people around the globe have been advocating for a rational use of water. Maybe you can protect the rivers, lakes, or the sea. But, can we do anything in a smaller place like our home?

In 2005, FACTORTIERRA produced an English-content version website called factortierra2, especially created to serve with original contents to audiences in the United States and Europe. One of our topics was covering environmental issues across Piura Department especially at the highlands where a mining project is still proposed – Rio Blanco.

As we working on that, once upon a day we received an intriguing e-mail from a female from North Atlanta, GA. She said she was a high-school student, she was interested in having information about water saving in developing countries like Peru. After interchanging data and impressions, we decided to join the campaign in North Atlanta and Peru, and focusing it in one simple action as turning off the faucet.

Download the sign the students created to advocate on the water saving.