Welcome to "The New Monroe Doctrine," where I give you an update on what's going on in the Western Hemisphere, south of our border, especially as it relates to the United States.
We need to talk about Peru.
If the Western Hemisphere were a circus, Peru would be the circus freak right now, or maybe the clown riding in someone's sidecar. The country is about as unstable as Kamala Harris after finishing off a box of wine.
This week, the country's legislature voted to remove its 39-year-old conservative president, José Jerí. The thing is, he was just sworn in... in October. He was Peru's seventh or eighth president since 2016, depending on how you count it. Only two of those guys actually got the job through the popular vote, while the rest were appointed by the country's far-too-powerful Congress — basically the current Democrat Party's wet dream.
According to Peru's 1993 Constitution, Congress can remove a president for "permanent moral incapacity." There's no need for anything more than a supermajority, or in some cases, like Jerí's, even a simple majority vote, which is currently 66. Jerí had 75 votes against him. There's judicial oversight involved. No need for a criminal conviction. Just a "we don't like you, now please go away" type of motive.
In Jerí's case, that motive was they're calling the "Chifa-gate" scandal. They claim he was having secret, late-night talks with a Chinese businessman about government contracts in energy and infrastructure... in a Chinese restaurant, of course. He says he didn't do it, but there are apparently videos of him showing up at the place, attempting to hide his identity. There are some other corruption allegations, but that's the main problem.
So, you might be wondering, who did this Congress that rules a country plagued with crime and corruption choose to replace this young conservative man, the country's first Millennial president?
That would be José María Balcázar.
- This man is 83 years old.
- He's a former judge.
- He's a Marxist.
- He is under investigation for fraud, scam, identity theft, bribery, and prevarication.
- Oh, and he's in favor of child marriage and allowing 14-year-old girls to have sex with adult men.
Look, if Jerí was making secret deals with the Chinese, I get it, but surely there's someone better in that country to select to take his place. There must be one man or woman in Peru who falls between "making secret deals with China" and "Marxist pedophile." Or maybe, they're just running out of people since they hand out presidencies like political candidates hand out candy at a 4th of July parade.
As I posted on X the other day, maybe Peru should just stop having presidents and promise to be real good for a while.
Sheesh. Maybe Peru should just stop having presidents and promise to be good. https://t.co/rKBdT2r9vu
— SarahDownSouth (@SarahDownSouth) February 19, 2026
But that's the problem. Peru is not being very good right now. Crime and chaos are out of hand. The homicide rates have almost doubled since the pandemic, much of it related to gangs and organized crime. The number of extortions is in the tens of thousands, including a 379% increase between 2021 and 2024. Over 75% of the Peruvian people report being afraid to leave their homes.
So how does this impact us? Well, anytime gang violence, drug trafficking, and organized crime get stronger in the Caribbean, Central, or South America, they manage to leak into our country. Maybe not as much now as it did between 2021 and 2024, but still... Of course, we also don't want Chinese influence in the Western Hemisphere, and Peru has a lot of it.
There's also the fact that Peru is a major trading partner. It's a top copper and minerals exporter for the U.S. We also get a ton of fresh produce from our Peruvian neighbors. Ironically, I'm eating some grapes right now that came from there, and I had someone email me recently telling me that all of their blueberries now come from there (see, I do read my emails — I'm just so behind on responding).
What happens next remains to be seen. The people go to the polls in April to actually try to elect their own president, but here's what's kind of funny. I saw a recent poll out of Peru that asked who they wanted to be their leader. The top three candidates were Nayib Bukele (El Salvador), Donald Trump (United States), and María Corina Machado (Venezuela). They can't even rally around anyone in their own country. I've mentioned this a time or two, but one of you wrote in and told me there are more Bukele posters around Peru than there are signs for actual candidates.
There is one man, Rafael López Aliaga, who leads the polls with about 12-21% of the vote, depending on the poll — keep in mind there are something like 34 candidates, and about 50% of voters are currently "undecided." He's a conservative businessman who's described as "braush," "bombastic," and "Trump-like," and he already has a hardline Bukele-style plan for combating crime ready to execute. Right now, it looks like he could win or, at least, make it to the run-offs in June, but whether or not Congress will allow him to stay remains to be seen. It'll also be interesting to see if Trump and/or Marco Rubio get involved in some way. Perhaps they already are...
So that's the CliffsNotes version because 1) I have the flu and 2) I'm trying to get done early today, so our managing editor, Chris Queen, can "enjoy his Friday night." Apparently, not everyone enjoys spending their weekends reading geopolitical deepdives. Who knew? (Just kidding, just kidding.)
Seriously, though, with the Peruvian elections coming up in April, and with Trump and Rubio planning to take an even deeper interest in the hemisphere in the months to come, I will be following this topic and reporting on it as much as I possibly can. I don't know a lot about Peru, but I'm looking forward to learning.
A Few Other Things
I've got some other hemispheric topics I'd like to cover, but I'm going to save them for other articles. If I'm gonna be sick in bed, I may as well give myself something to do, right? But in case you missed these hot topics this week:
1. The Cuban regime's days are numbered, and word on the street is that Rubio is talking to one of the Castro grandchildren to help make it happen: Has Rubio Found the Secret to a Free Cuba?
2. Meanwhile, some Republican members of Congress want Trump to indict Grandpa: Could Trump Go After Castro?
3. El Salvador Makes History... Again... in many ways.
4. Maduro is asking for favors for the day when he one day returns to Venezuela. LOL. Actually, I was thinking today that if a Dem is elected in 2028, one of the first things they'll probably do is set him free. Sigh. You'll Never Believe What Maduro Wants Now
5. Something awful happened in my favorite town outside the U.S., and I offered up my perspective: An American Murdered in Paradise — A Sign of Something Bigger?
6. We're still stacking wins in Venezuela: Historic: A Surprise High-Level U.S. Visitor Lands in Venezuela. But there have also been some not-so-great things happening: Detaining a U.S. Citizen Is Probably Not the Way to Attract Foreign Investors.
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In the next few days, I have more to share about Venezuela, particularly regarding the amnesty law and political prisoners, as well as Nicaragua — several of you have asked for more on that. So, keep an eye out!
Well, that's it for me. As I say, Rubio isn't handing me exclusives... yet, but he may have to get in line if he decides to. I'll have you know that President Bukele of El Salvador posted one of my articles to his social media this week, so it's nice to know that at least some Hemisphere VIPs are reading. Do better, Marco! I mean, uh, Mr. Secretary.
Here's my proof, thanks to the aforementioned Chris Queen:
Drop me an email if there's something in Latin America or the Caribbean you want to learn more about (the link is in my bio).
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