Rafael Prieto-Curiel, Gian Maria Campedelli

El Salvador, once one of the most violent countries in the world, has, in recent years, experienced a huge drop in homicides. The massive reduction is the result of Nayib Bukele’s anti-gang policies, which brought widespread domestic and international popularity to the President and its government. Other countries suffering high levels of violence are praising Bukele’s actions, electing El Salvador as a model to be followed despite the blatant violations of human, civil and political rights suffered by its citizens. While concurring that this aspect represents the most concerning facet of El Salvador’s strategy, we reflect on whether other countries should follow Bukele’s policies, elaborating on issues that have been largely overlooked. First, the policy scalability, adaptability and external validity. Second, the long-term vision of the prison population and the demographic and economic costs. As a result of our reflections, we conclude that other countries should not follow El Salvador’s strategy: beyond the likely erosion of citizens’ rights, the exportation of the policy may entail an array of additional unbearable costs, making Latin American democracies weaker.

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