Nayib Bukele

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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, 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]

The good[edit]

Bukele has 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 has used this issue as a Trojan Horse for cracking down on inoffensive drug users as well, such as marijuana users (more of that documented below).[12]

The bad[edit]

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.[16]

Bukele has done 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".

The fascist[edit]

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 fascists worldwide, he is a staunch supporter of the Zionist state of Israel and the war in Gaza.[19]

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.[20]

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.[21][22] [23]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ El Salvador’s Bukele: From ‘World’s Coolest Dictator’ to ‘Philosopher King’ United States Institute of Peace
  2. ↑ ‘Coolest dictator’ to ‘philosopher king,’ Nayib Bukele’s path to reelection in El Salvador AP News
  3. ↑ How US conservatives fell for two of Latin America’s most controversial leaders Vox By Ellen Ioanes Feb 24, 2024, 6:00am EST
  4. ↑ His dad was an imam, his wife has Jewish roots: Meet El Salvador’s new leader The Times of Israel
  5. ↑ El Salvador: A pro-Israel president of Palestinian descent deepens divide among diaspora Middle East Eye
  6. ↑ Who is Nayib Bukele, the 'world's coolest dictator'? The National News
  7. ↑ Nayib Bukele is not the hero conservatives think he is The Telegraph
  8. ↑ El Salvador in the grip of the 'Bukele system' Lemonde System By Angeline Montoya Published on July 16, 2023, at 5:00 pm (Paris)
  9. ↑ Amongst Salvadorans in the US, Opinion Is Split on Conservative New President Nayib Bukele Remezcla
  10. ↑ Latin America’s new hard right: Bukele, Milei, Kast and Bolsonaro The Economist Apr 1st 2024
  11. ↑ The Donald Trump of Central America Jacobin
  12. ↑ Thousands of innocent people jailed in El Salvador’s gang crackdown PBS Newshour
  13. ↑ Inside the growing cult of El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, Latin America’s political star Los Angeles Times
  14. ↑ Nayib Bukele’s Growing List of Latin American Admirers Americas Quarterly
  15. ↑ Nayib Bukele: “I Am A Radical Leftist” The National Telegraph
  16. ↑ Nayib Bukele is not the hero conservatives think he is The Telegraph
  17. ↑ When Abortion Bans Are Too Popular to Overturn Foreign Policy
  18. ↑ No Safe Haven for LGBT People in El Salvador Human Rights Watch
  19. ↑ Bukele presidency masks complex history of Palestinian involvement in Salvadoran politics Institute of Languages, Cultures & Societies
  20. ↑ Tucker Carlson guest praises El Salvador’s authoritarian president for failing Bitcoin experiment Media Matters for America
  21. ↑ Bukele lanza críticas a Soros por injerencia en El Salvador
  22. ↑ Bukele: en Latinoamérica hay periodistas "pagados por Soros"
  23. ↑ https://www.dw.com/es/nayib-bukele-en-latinoam%C3%A9rica-hay-periodistas-pagados-por-soros/a-65497538
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