In recent work Pineda has sought to develop an anthropological approach to city-building and Saskia Sassen's global cities. In 2013 he published a project studying the military coup staged by Guinea-Bissau’s army on the evening of 12 April 2012 and its linkage to foreign and local drug barons. Pineda proposed in his project that Guinea-Bissau should be recognized as the first legitimate narco-state in Africa and the world.