Although it may now be leading the conversation in safety and law enforcement, El Salvador reached that point only after a decades-long crucible, often exchanging the tyranny of military dictators for the subjugation of street kingpins. While it is impossible to pinpoint what began the decades of bloodshed in El Salvador, there is little debate over what ended them: the decisive yet controversial crackdown by the country’s current president, Nayib Bukele. In fact, Bukele’s campaign proved so effective that — for the most part — the only criticism from his foreign opponents remains that he came down too hard on the gangs and failed to do enough to protect the rule of law for those accused.Despite this, Bukele maintains an approval rating of more than 90 percent, which only becomes comprehen