by Milan Yadav | Nov 14, 2025 | University of Georgia
Mano dura translates to “iron fist,” broadly defined as strong-armed, anti-crime policies that much of Latin America has implemented over recent decades in response to massive rises in gang violence. The presence of gangs has long dominated the quality of life in much...
by Josephine Hale | Apr 18, 2025 | Boston University
Nayib Bukele has become one of the most infamous populist leaders in Latin America, winning international praise for his aggressive anti-gang policies and his unapologetic, millennial persona. But under the surface of his popularity lies a much more troubling concern:...
by Anna Thorner | Jun 25, 2024 | University of the Philippines, Diliman
by Julian Matthew Formadero and Lance Carlo Mendoza In May 2016, with 16 million votes, the Philippines elected Rodrigo Duterte as its 16th president. The foul-mouthed former mayor of Davao, who was a virtual nobody just a year prior, won on a promise of eradicating...
by Anahi Miranda | Nov 18, 2022 | Boston University
Gang members are secured during a police operation at Izalco jail during a 24-hour lockdown ordered by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele in Izalco, El Salvador. Photograph released by the El Salvador Presidency on April 25, 2020. Photo by El Salvador...
by Brandon Young | Oct 14, 2022 | Ohio State University
El Salvador is a country that many Americans have heard of but very few know a lot about. The nation has experienced a long history of turmoil with several military dictatorships and a civil war that claimed the lives of more than 75,000 people. Against this backdrop,...