Constraining States of Exception - Center for Strategic and International Studies

Title: Constraining States of Exception

From the Center for Strategic and International Studies

Commentary by: Ryan C. Berg, Director, Americas Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Henry Ziemer, Associate Fellow, Americas Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Date of Publication: 08 June 2023

Summary: “Plan Bukele” Goes Global - The Western Hemisphere is split over the extreme security policies of Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele. To his supporters, Bukele’s efforts at curbing violent crime in what was once one of the most notorious hotbeds of gang activity have been nothing short of herculean. To his detractors, the self-proclaimed “coolest dictator in the world” has exploited public security efforts to establish an ironclad grip on El Salvador’s political and civic space, with corrosive effects on the country’s democracy.

The full commentary is available in both English and Spanish language on the Center for Strategic and International Studies website here.