Peru has had seven presidents in nine years, homicides have nearly doubled, and extortion is up sixfold - and yet the country just tried to buy $3.5 billion worth of F-16s. Elohim Monard returns to diagnose a political crisis that doubles as a case study in great-power failure. From "gross diplomacy" on social media to a runoff framed as "cancer versus HIV," Peru is caught between Washington and Beijing with no strategy of its own.

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Welcome and Guest Intro

(00:37) - Gross Diplomacy Sparks

(01:51) - US Diplomatic Decline

(05:17) - Trump Centralized Foreign Policy

(07:08) - Peru F-16 Deal Controversy

(12:28) - Why F-16s Make No Sense

(17:13) - Peru Budget and Military Inertia

(21:43) - Peru Election and Crime Surge

(24:32) - Fujimori Question Setup

(24:58) - Fujimori Paradox

(26:38) - Instability Origins

(28:32) - Democracy Tradeoffs

(30:43) - Sanchez and Castillo

(33:51) - Cleavages Over Policy

(36:57) - US China Reality Check

(39:03) - Beyond Great Powers

(45:07) - Inequality Fuels Populism

(49:52) - No Offers From Washington

(51:28) - Latin America Leadership Void

(56:44) - Closing and Signoff

Referenced in the Show:

Jacob Shapiro Site: jacobshapiro.com

Jacob Shapiro LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jacob-l-s-a9337416

Jacob Twitter: x.com/JacobShap

Jacob Shapiro Substack: jashap.substack.com/subscribe

The Jacob Shapiro Show is produced and edited by Audiographies LLC. More information at audiographies.com

Jacob Shapiro is a speaker, consultant, author, and researcher covering global politics and affairs, economics, markets, technology, history, and culture. He speaks to audiences of all sizes around the world, helps global multinationals make strategic decisions about political risks and opportunities, and works directly with investors to grow and protect their assets in today’s volatile global environment. His insights help audiences across industries like finance, agriculture, and energy make sense of the world.