Tyrant or Savior? by Maria Gill

The Scary History of El Salvador

mariakgill — 2024-03-23 03:04:13 UTC

Throughout history El Salvador has been commonly known for being a violent country with high crime rates; peaking in 2015 with an average of 106 homicides per 100k population, a 69.17% increase from the previous year (macrotrends Charles Schwab). The reason for this was many rampant gangs. Even as of September 2023 over 21,000 fully fledged gang members remained at large, making up about 53 armed groups(Papadovassilakis).

Nayib Bukele

mariakgill — 2024-03-23 03:19:17 UTC

The saving grace of El Salvador is their 43rd president, Nayib Bukele. Born in July of 1941 and raised in San Salvador, El Salvador(Glarity). His father was an Imam, a Muslim leader, and his mother has Jewish roots. Growing up in the heart of El Salvador, Bukele had many experiences with gang violence.

Bukele's Presidential Career

mariakgill — 2024-03-23 03:39:06 UTC

Bukele was first elected in 2019 and has been re-elected by a landslide in 2024. Throughout his campaign Bukele has declared his strong stance against gangs. Since the very beginning of his presidential term he has cracked down on gang violence, in March 2022 he instituted a "State of Exception", leading to some 75,000 arrests (USIP). A "State of Exception" temporarily suspends basic rights, including free speech and protest rights (Alianza Americas)

The Pros and Cons

mariakgill — 2024-03-23 03:45:23 UTC

Bukele and his solution to the crime rates has become a very controversial topic, so lets look at the pros and cons. Since his election the homicide rate in El Salvador has dropped lower in the last 25 years and continues to decrease (macrotrends). However, resulting from this there have been many innocent civilians with no gang relation that have been imprisoned unjustly.

Public Opinion

mariakgill — 2024-03-23 03:45:52 UTC

Their are two sides to how people see the actions of Bukele. Some are worried that the tight control and security he has over the country could lead to a merciless tyrant. Many others are greatful for the relief from such a never ending violent history.

Conclusion

mariakgill — 2024-03-23 03:46:33 UTC

While there are many different sides to the events of El Salvador, the general consensus is that no-matter how bad it is, anything is better than what it was before.

Work Sited

mariakgill — 2024-03-23 03:48:48 UTC

https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/SLV/el-salvador/crime-rate-statistics

https://insightcrime.org/investigations/future-looks-bleak-el-salvador-gangs/#:~:text=Over%2021%2C000%20fully%2Dfledged%20gang,structures%20remain%2C%20even%20if%20dormant.

https://www.stumpyvision.com/blog/2016/9/13/elsalvador-surf-blog

https://askai.glarity.app/search/Who-is-Nayib-Bukele--and-what-is-his-role-in-El-Salvador-s-politics

https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/02/el-salvadors-bukele-worlds-coolest-dictator-philosopher-king

https://www.alianzaamericas.org/region-central-america/el-salvadors-state-of-exception-explained/?lang=en

https://www.usip.org/publications/2022/04/el-salvador-needs-long-term-solutions-end-cycles-violence