
The Open Secret of Government-Gang Talks
El Salvador’s lull in homicides was likely the result of such negotiations. They’d be far from Latin America’s first.

The Democrat’s Playbook
Biden’s Summit for Democracy must go on the offensive.

Bitcoin Failed in El Salvador. The President Says the Answer Is More Bitcoin.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele is spinning new projects as fast as he can.

El Salvador’s Bitcoin Law Is a Farce
The system doesn’t work, the currency crashed, and the public hates it.

El Salvador’s President Is Pioneering Hustle Bro Populism
Nayib Bukele has turned Bitcoin and Twitter into political tools.

Mexico’s López Obrador Is Pulling an Erdogan on Biden
By reducing U.S.-Mexican relations to migration, Biden is letting himself be played—and ignoring a crisis south of the border.

Want to Counter Authoritarianism in Central America? Follow the Money.
The United States lacks reliable partners in the region. Here’s how to hold them accountable.

El Salvador Is Printing Money With Bitcoin
Nayib Bukele doesn’t want to ditch dollars. He just wants his own.

Biden’s Top Priority in Central America Is Fighting Corruption. That’s an Uphill Battle.
In the last few years, as politicians, judges, and other campaigners were stymied, the political will to fight graft has eroded.

In Central America, Rule of Law Is Under Attack. El Salvador Is the Latest Victim.
El Salvador’s populist president is following the playbook of corrupt elites in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras when it comes to top courts.

Biden Rethinks Central America Strategy
Corrupt local elites thwarted some engagement efforts of the past decade, Biden’s new special envoy wrote.

El Salvador’s Homicide Rate Hit a Historic Low in 2020
But the reasons behind the drop are unclear, and broader security and economic reforms are urgently needed.

In El Salvador, Broken Promises Have Forced the Establishment Out
In Sunday’s legislative elections, voters overwhelmingly backed a popular president promising change, despite criticisms of democratic backsliding.

New Ideas and Old Risks in El Salvador
President Nayib Bukele’s Nuevas Ideas party prepares for an electoral sweep.

El Salvador’s Justice System Takes on a Historic Case
Transgender rights activists say the prosecution of Camila Díaz Córdova’s death as a hate crime is an advance, although LGBTQ citizens continue to face discrimination and abuse.

The Words That Explained the World in 2019
A look at terms from India and El Salvador to South Korea and Ukraine.

Is Canada Violating Its Constitution by Sending Refugees Back to the United States?
A federal court case could stop Ottawa from treating the United States as a safe third country due to the Trump administration’s harsh policies toward asylum-seekers.

A Nation Held Hostage
The rival gangs MS-13 and La 18 control or influence every facet of life in El Salvador, making the small Central American nation the world’s most dangerous place outside a war zone.

Sending Refugees Back Makes the World More Dangerous
Repatriating refugees to dangerous countries violates international law and breeds conflict, instability, and future crises. Regional work visas and long-term integration into host countries are more promising solutions.

Diplomats’ Warnings Over Mass Deportations Ignored by Trump Administration
A memo details the Trump administration’s efforts to end waivers for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable Central American nationals and send them home.