![](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/AQPodcast_Sanchez_071124-300x199.jpg)
AQ Podcast | The Bukele Model: Why It’s Hard to Replicate
In a region plagued by crime, some politicians are eager to replicate El Salvador’s gang crackdown. Can the model spread?
![Claudia Ortiz is one of the few political opponents of El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Claudia-Ortiz-300x200.jpg)
The Lonely Life of El Salvador’s Opposition
Lawmaker Claudia Ortiz is leading the political dissent. Her recent campaign—and the ruling party’s attempts to defeat it—show what’s ahead for a backsliding democracy.
![Migrants travel through Tapachula in southern Mexico in Oct. 2023. The next administration in Mexico should work more closely with its neighbors to address migration.](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/MexicoNorthernTriangle-300x200.jpg)
Mexico Needs a New Strategy for the Northern Triangle
The next administration should work more closely with its neighbors to address migration.
![](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/AQPodcast_McDermott_032524-300x199.jpg)
AQ Podcast | The Shifting Sands of Organized Crime in Latin America
An overview of how homicide and other crimes are evolving in the region
![](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GettyImages-1980538279-300x200.jpg)
El Salvador’s Economy Will Test Bukele 2.0
Bukele needs an IMF assistance program to regain access to international markets. Bitcoin and the erosion of the rule of law are stumbling blocks.
![](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/GettyImages-1978649405-300x200.jpg)
REACTION: Bukele Gets Election Boost for Second Term
Bukele’s party expanded its supermajority in El Salvador’s election, shaped by unprecedented reforms and court rulings.
![](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/AQPodcast_Dammert011724-300x199.jpg)
AQ Podcast: How to Think About Latin America’s Security Crisis
An expert with firsthand knowledge discusses new crime dynamics and ways forward.
![Nayib Bukele is expected to win El Salvador's 2024 president elections.](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/CandidatesArt2024_ElSalvadorLede-300x199.jpg)
Meet the Candidates: El Salvador
Nayib Bukele continues to dominate the field ahead of elections on February 4.
![El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele speaks in January.](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Bukele-Letter-to-Editor-Photo-300x200.jpeg)
Letter to the Editor: A Bukele Aide Defends the Security Crackdown
A response from AQ’s readers.
![A suspected gang member is arrested in El Salvador as part of President Nayib Bukele's crackdown on gangs through mass arrests.](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/El-Salvador-Arrest-300x200.jpg)
U.S. Citizens Are Getting Caught Up in El Salvador’s Mass Arrests
Salvadoran-Americans are finding themselves behind bars, but their fate is not getting enough U.S. attention, writes a longtime Salvadoran observer.
![](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/AQPodcast_Arriaza_041923-300x199.jpg)
AQ Podcast: Guatemala’s Suspiciously Status Quo Election
Central America’s largest country is struggling with inequality, crime and threats to democracy. Then why do leading candidates in upcoming elections sound similar to the incumbent?
![](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/AQPodcast_Broner041323-300x199.jpg)
AQ Podcast | Bukelismo Rising: Security Versus Freedom In Latin America
HRW’s Tamara Taraciuk Broner on why many in the region see El Salvador’s hard line as a model to emulate, and how to counter this trend.
![](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/BukelePetro-1-300x199.png)
On Security, Bukele and Petro Have a Problem in Common
A recent Twitter feud laid bare the two presidents’ starkly different security approaches. But they both struggle to identify long-term solutions.
![Soldados registran civiles en El Salvador. El estado de excepción lleva un año de vigencia.](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/El-Salvador-Lede-Art-II-300x200.jpg)
Contestando al retroceso democrático de El Salvador
Los países de la región deben sonar la alarma sobre los impactos a largo plazo de restringir los derechos de los ciudadanos.
![A line of civilians outside a bus in San Salvador wait to have their bags checked by soldiers.](https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GettyImages-1240468314-300x200.jpg)
Countering El Salvador’s Democratic Backsliding
Countries across the region must raise the alarm about the long-term impact of curbing citizens’ rights.