Exclusion, Repression, and Confusion: President Bukele’s Failure to Address Organized Crime in El Salvador

The self-proclaimed “world’s coolest dictator” is lauded by his people for making them feel safe in their own neighborhoods, however, President Bukele’s approval rating conceals his administration’s ignorance of past and future rural life in El Salvador. While President Bukele’s crackdown has provided short term success, his actions ignore El Salvador’s history of war and violence that motivates gang participation in the first place. Explicitly, Bukele’s mano dura (firm hand) policies have undermined impoverished communities more than they have helped them and centralization of state power has contributed to a democratic backsliding in El Salvador that exacerbates the class divide between industry elites and the rural population.

AmericasBy Nathaniel BarrettAugust 29, 2025El Salvador, Human Rights, Transitional Justice, Corruption, Latin America, Americas, Prison, CECOT, President Bukele, Bukele

The Paralysis of the Past: An Evaluation of President Arévalo’s Aspirations to Combat Historic Impunity and Indigenous Oppression in Guatemala

For decades, the Guatemalan military has cooperated with foreign and domestic elites to stymie public efforts at combating racial and social inequalities. State repression is so embedded into the Guatemalan political system that corruption has been made contingent for the state to function. Nevertheless, various transitional justice initiatives which emerged at the end of the Civil War, such as the Equipulus I and II agreements and the REHMI and CEH reports, carried positive changes to the modern Guatemalan state. The strategies used in this time can inform the Semilla party in its anti-corruption mission.

AmericasBy Nathaniel BarrettApril 5, 2025Guatemala, Human Rights, Transitional Justice, Corruption, Latin America, Americas, Guatemalan Genocide, Genocicde, State Terror, Reform, Anti-Corruption, Accountability, Impunity