Latin America Advisor 2022-08-01 – Inter-American Dialogue

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

June 13, 2022

Has Bukele Gone Too Far in Cracking Down on Gangs?

Salvadoran authorities have arrested tens of thousands of people since the government declared a state of emergency in March. // File Photo: @nayibbukele via Twitter.

Q

El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly, which is controlled by President Nayib Bukele’s Nuevas Ideas party, on July 19 extended for the fourth time the state of emergency that Bukele first declared in March to address gangs and gang violence in the country. Since the emergency measures have been in effect, Salvadoran authorities have arrested at least 46,000 people. Also in July, the U.S. State Department named Bukele’s press secretary, the leader of his party in the Legislative Assembly and other officials on its list of “corrupt and undemocratic actors” in Central America. How much longer will the state of emergency last, and will it become permanent? How has the Salvadoran population been responding to the heightened visibility of security forces in the country, and how has it affected Bukele’s strong popularity ratings? How will the U.S. decision to designate some of Bukele’s allies as “corrupt and undemocratic” affect the way Bukele’s administration addresses security issues in the future?

A

Michael Paarlberg, assistant professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University and associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies: “The mass arrests are political theater, covering up the failures of mano dura policing by successive administrations in El Salvador, the latest being that of President Bukele. At the same time that the government has been locking up ordinary citizens for such things as having tattoos, living in neighborhoods with gang presence or ‘looking like criminals,’ it has freed top leaders of MS-13, going so far as to escort one out of the country to avoid extradition to the United States. The Bukele government has…”

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The Inter-American Dialogue publishes the Latin America Advisor every business day for a distinguished membership of informed corporate leaders, scholars, and government officials invested in Latin America’s development and future. The Advisor‘s highly regarded Q&A section covers questions submitted by subscribers themselves. Commentators regularly include heads of state, business leaders, diplomats, economists, analysts, and thought leaders from around the world. Many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies subscribe to the Advisor. To subscribe, click here. For terms and conditions, click here. For more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.

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