Nayib Bukele

His Excellency Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez is the self-declared world's coolest dictatorEl Salvador’s Bukele: From ‘World’s Coolest Dictator’ to ‘Philosopher King’ United States Institute of Peace 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.‘Coolest dictator’ to ‘philosopher king,’ Nayib Bukele’s path to reelection in El Salvador AP NewsHow US conservatives fell for two of Latin America’s most controversial leaders Vox By Ellen Ioanes Feb 24, 2024, 6:00am EST
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.His dad was an imam, his wife has Jewish roots: Meet El Salvador’s new leader The Times of IsraelEl Salvador: A pro-Israel president of Palestinian descent deepens divide among diaspora Middle East EyeWho is Nayib Bukele, the 'world's coolest dictator'? The National NewsNayib Bukele is not the hero conservatives think he is The Telegraph
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.El Salvador in the grip of the 'Bukele system' Lemonde System By Angeline Montoya Published on July 16, 2023, at 5:00 pm (Paris) 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.Amongst Salvadorans in the US, Opinion Is Split on Conservative New President Nayib Bukele Remezcla Bukele is noted to be part of the growing far-right wave in Latin America (and the world).Latin America’s new hard right: Bukele, Milei, Kast and Bolsonaro The Economist Apr 1st 2024The Donald Trump of Central America Jacobin
==The good==
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).Thousands of innocent people jailed in El Salvador’s gang crackdown PBS Newshour
==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.Inside the growing cult of El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, Latin America’s political star Los Angeles TimesNayib Bukele’s Growing List of Latin American Admirers Americas Quarterly Bukele started off as a self-proclaimed radical leftist (for which he received some backlashNayib Bukele: “I Am A Radical Leftist” The National Telegraph), 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.Nayib Bukele is not the hero conservatives think he is The Telegraph
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.When Abortion Bans Are Too Popular to Overturn Foreign PolicyNo Safe Haven for LGBT People in El Salvador Human Rights Watch LGBT Salvadorans face social stigma and brutal crackdowns just for being themselves, all in the name of "traditional marriage" and "family values".
==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 war in Gaza.Bukele presidency masks complex history of Palestinian involvement in Salvadoran politics Institute of Languages, Cultures & Societies
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.Tucker Carlson guest praises El Salvador’s authoritarian president for failing Bitcoin experiment Media Matters for America
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.Bukele lanza críticas a Soros por injerencia en El SalvadorBukele: en Latinoamérica hay periodistas "pagados por Soros" https://www.dw.com/es/nayib-bukele-en-latinoam%C3%A9rica-hay-periodistas-pagados-por-soros/a-65497538
==See also==
*Donald Trump
*Javier Milei
*Sebastián Piñera
*Alberto Fujimori
*Jair Bolsonaro
*Jaime Rodriguez
==References==
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