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ARGENTINA

Pedro Casals: 'El Salvador today is safer than the U.S. thanks to Bukele'

The expert in defense and security spoke about the impact of the measures promoted by President Nayib Bukele

Defense and security specialist Pedro Manuel Casals highlighted the profound change experienced by El Salvador under the leadership of Nayib Bukele, while drawing a parallel with Donald Trump's judicial situation in the United States. According to Casals,  both figures faced institutional resistance when trying to implement structural reforms.

"The MS-13 weren't just a gang of criminals, they were a terrorist and criminal organization with political control: they had judges, senators, congressmen, and even presidents", the expert noted.

Casals explained that when Bukele advanced with his reform plan, the Salvadoran Judiciary began to rule extra petita, that is, issuing decisions beyond what was requested, which blocked the changes promoted by the Executive. Faced with this scenario, the president denounced a judicial coup and proposed to the National Assembly the election of new judges, which ultimately led to a transformation of the system.

Casals sobre las políticas de seguridad de Bukele

"El Salvador today is safer than the United States and Canada.  It is the safest country in America and the second safest in the world. 20 years ago, if I said this, they would call me crazy", he stated.

According to the analyst, this improvement in security is a direct result of Bukele's political will and his decision to prioritize the rights of honest citizens over the privileges of those who break the law.

Human rights and justice

Casals also addressed the alleged controversy over human rights in this type of security policies.

"When an innocent or a police officer dies, no one hears from NGOs. But if a criminal dies, an Amnesty International report appears. There's hypocrisy in the human rights approach", he criticized.

The expert defended the severity in justice as a way to protect the majority of society. In his words:  "If you forgive the wolf, you sacrifice the sheep".

Two men sitting in elegant chairs are chatting animatedly in a room decorated with golden details.
Pedro Casals: "El Salvador today is safer than the U.S. thanks to Bukele" | La Derecha Diario

Exporting the Bukele model

Finally, Casals mentioned that Bukele's model is being replicated or admired in countries like Spain, France, and Hungary, where politicians like Marine Le Pen or Viktor Orbán  view this tough policy and institutional reform favorably.

"They're exporting that model to the American public as well. Similar reforms are being attempted", he concluded.

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