Free Republic

MEXICO CITY — In Peru, there is talk of building a monument in his honor. In Honduras and Ecuador, leaders have copied his draconian security policies, his tough-on-crime rhetoric — and even his fashion choices. In Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia and Guatemala, citizens have taken to the streets calling on their own governments to embrace his extreme strategies for combating violence. The brash young autocrat has won legions of fans throughout the region for a sweeping crackdown on gangs that has dramatically lowered violent crime. That his “mano dura” policies draw scorn from human rights and democracy advocates seems to...

The President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, has decreased crime in the country by historic lows. Some have criticized Bukele's tough-on-crime, anti-criminal stance, going as far as calling him a "dictator."Bukele responded to the critics. They say we live in a dictatorship. Ask bus passengers, people eating in restaurants, waiters. Ask whomever you want. Here in El Salvador, you can go anywhere and it’s totally safe. … Ask them what they think of El Salvador, what they think of our government, what they think of our supposed dictatorship.Bukele has an approval rating of 90 percent as of June 2023, per...