The LatinNews Podcast is a fortnightly deep dive into key developments from across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Real insights from the region’s sharpest minds.
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Season 1 | Episode 77
This episode explores the complex security and political landscape of El Salvador under President Nayib Bukele, featuring insights from expert José Salguero. We discuss the history of gang violence, the security policies implemented, and the implications for democracy and regional influence.
Nayib Bukele's rise to power was marked by promises of security and stability. However, as Salguero points out, the current security situation cannot be attributed solely to Bukele's policies. Instead, it is a culmination of various factors, including previous government actions and historical trends.
Looking ahead, the question remains: will El Salvador ever exit this state of exception? Salguero suggests that the historical context reveals a pattern in which authoritarian regimes maintain power by manipulating public fear and securing compliance through promises of stability.
Hailing from El Salvador, José Salguero is a PhD candidate at the Philipps University of Marburg, a Development Economist and Peace and Security Researcher.
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In this episode we discuss:
• Bukele's security model and the state of exception
• Democracy, institutions and executive power
• Economic inequality and elite influence
• Can the Bukele model be replicated?
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José Salguero
José Salguero is a Salvadoran researcher and PhD candidate in Sociology at Philipps-Universität Marburg in Germany. His work focuses on security, conflict, governance and development in Latin America, with particular expertise in El Salvador and Central America. Prior to his doctoral research, he worked with institutions including ACLED, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and FUNDAUNGO. He is also the co-author of Myths and Hard Truths in the Latin American Security Landscape, which examines security policy, state capacity and democratic governance in the region.
The LatinNews Podcast is hosted by Richard McColl, a foreign correspondent in Colombia. Having first travelled to Colombia in the late 90s, McColl made the move to Bogotá in 2007. He holds a Diploma in Conflict resolution and a PhD in Social and Human Sciences both at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. He has worked as a journalist across Latin America.
Political Analyst, Richard McColl