El Salvador Perspectives

A collection of some of the news from El Salvador during the month of October: The Santa Marta 5 are acquitted .  A court dismissed the charges against the community and anti-mining activists who were accused of a killing during El Salvador's civil war.  The prosecution of the activists had been seen as intimidation of the anti-mining movement which had achieved a law banning gold mining in the country.  Bukele sends thousands of troops in siege of another town .  Bukele labels El Salvador the "safest country in the western hemisphere," but maintains it through massive shows of force.  Asserting a need to root out gang members, some 2000 soldiers and 500 police were sent to establish a security cordon around the town of San Marcos. The national emergency State of Exception  remains in place and suspends due process protections for those arrested. El Salvador refinances foreign debt in environmental conservation deal .   In a re-financing t...

Nayib Bukele spent the second half of September on foreign travel.  He sought to portray himself as having something important to say to the rest of world.      For Bukele, these travels were all about showing to the Salvadoran public that he is a leader of world stature. Three different national broadcasts in El Salvador highlighted the travels of the president. There he was meeting with the world's richest man, speaking at the UN General Assembly and lecturing the wealthy countries of the world, and being given all the honors of a state visit in Argentina with fellow populist leader Javier Milei. Were there any tangible benefits to El Salvador out of this trip? No, not really. But for the self-proclaimed "world's coolest dictator" and "philosopher king" it was a chance to further enhance his image to his adoring public in El Salvador, around Latin America, and in the circles of Bitcoin true-believers. Bukele started his travels with a meeting with billi...