This is who we're talking about here: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Nayib_Bukele
His Excellency Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez (1981–) is the self-declared world's coolest dictator[1] and the current 81st president of El Salvador since 2019. Bukele is a unique example of the right-wing populism that has swept the world in recent years. As an example, Bukele is a right-wing authoritarian but denies that he is on the right or the left. Despite his denial of being on the right, he curiously has been praised by rightists and conservatives worldwide.[2][3]
Bukele is the descendant of Palestinian Orthodox Christians who left the country in 1921. His grandparents were devout Christians, while his father was a Christian but converted to Islam later in his life. His mother was also a staunch Christian and remained so.[4][5][6][7]
Since his ascendance to the presidency in 2019, Bukele has held his country in a death grip of power. He has used emergency powers during the crackdown crisis to strengthen his hold and effectively make the country an autocracy.[8] Though many Salvadorans have a positive opinion towards him, with his approval rating even reaching as high as 90%, his dissidents and some whistleblowers have been shut down or have fled the country during the chaos.[9] Bukele is noted to be part of the growing far-right wave in Latin America (and the world).[10][11]
Contents
1 The good
2 The bad
3 Far-right politics
4 See also
5 References
The good
This section requires updating.
Bukele fought drug gangs that engaged in violence and defended poor neighborhoods from such violence. As a result, homicides in the El Salvador plummeted significantly. Unfortunately, he used this issue as a Trojan Horse for cracking down on inoffensive drug users as well, such as marijuana users.[12]
The bad
Like other right-wing Latin American leaders, Bukele has built a cult of personality (derived from Salvadorans fed up with the political establishment and facing hardship across the country) around himself as a result of his brutal crackdowns.[13][14] Bukele started off as a self-proclaimed radical leftist (for which he received some backlash[15]), but later claimed that he became independent when he entered politics and ran for president. Curiously, his policies are right leaning and he has a huge right-wing audience inside and outside El Salvador. Many in said audience (mostly Spanish speaking but also English speaking) defend or deny any atrocities committed by him or under his regime, basically making his audience a cult based around him. This is not surprising, given that many far-right leaders around the world have their own cults of personality.[16]
Bukele implemented the typical right-wing policies as his counterparts abroad, namely banning abortion and barring LGBT people from society and preventing them from being recognized or even identifying publicly.[17][18] LGBT Salvadorans face social stigma and brutal crackdowns just for being themselves, all in the name of "traditional marriage" and "family values".
Reports have uncovered that Bukele made secret deals with the country's gangsters and drug traffickers to make it look like that crime has decreased and that his anti-crime crusades are working.[19][20] [21] Bukele deflected the claim as lies and claims that the previous the previous Salvadorian governments have done such shady deals. Additionally, in March 2022, there was a significant spike of violence, with members of Bukele's Nuevos Ideas suggesting that these violent acts were done to try get Bukele back to the negotiating table with the country's criminal elements.
Far-right politics
Bukele is part of the far-right wave of politicians gaining steam and grabbing power worldwide. Bukele has abused his power, against the rights of people such as indigenous communities, the LGBT community, feminists, immigrants, the homeless, drug addicts, and recreational drug users.
Like many far-rightists worldwide, he is a staunch supporter of the Zionist state of Israel and the genocide in Gaza (Despite being of Palestinian ancestry himself).[22]
As part of the interconnected global far-right movement, Bukele was one of the many right-wing leaders interviewed by Tucker Carlson, as he was promoted and propped up by his propaganda. In one segment, Bukele proclaimed that the United States was less safe than both his own country and other Latin American countries because of immigration to the States (including from his own country). Carlson even praised Bukele in one of his segments after the interview.[23]
Much like his other counterparts, he scapegoats George Soros for all of his country’s problems. Bukele spoke at the American Conservative Political Action Conference accusing George Soros of attempting to "dictate public politics and laws" in El Salvador.[24][25] [26]
Bukele made an appearance at CPAC in February 2024, speaking to the audience to beware “dark forces” trying to take over America.[27]
I suggest the acquisition of this kind of American ally in the region, or of ANY potential ally against Venezuela, is in present circumstances the opposite of comforting or reassuring or hopeful.
