While the concerns over some of the policies enacted by this government are legitimate, I think one has to acknowledge that they have been effective at combating the gangs, which had largely held the entire nation and its government hostage through terrorism. My question is: what should that government have done instead? If the humanitarian critics want to be taken seriously, we have to be able to suggest plans and policies that will achieve the same or similar ends without the drawbacks of rolling back fundamental human rights. The people of El Salvador were in a desperate situation and so elected a president who took desperate measures. If we want to prevent those desperate measures from gaining popular support, liberal politicians need to provide effective solutions for these desperate problems that work without the need of said desperate measures.
I live in Nicaragua (I’m American) and can say that while yes he does have his critics in Central America, he’s overwhelmingly supported in El Salvador and the people are actually safe, which is not normal for the last several decades.
Sometimes extreme measures are needed. It’s like he said when this started, (paraphrasing) “Where were all these countries when we needed help. Where was their training, money, equipment, etc.? Our people are dying and we’ve had enough! So the world ignored us before and now they want to criticize us. We don’t care.”
I won’t criticize them for taking much of the steps they did. However I hope that as things are stabilizing that the rights which were stripped away to achieve this will eventually be restored.
While the concerns over some of the policies enacted by this government are legitimate, I think one has to acknowledge that they have been effective at combating the gangs, which had largely held the entire nation and its government hostage through terrorism. My question is: what should that government have done instead? If the humanitarian critics want to be taken seriously, we have to be able to suggest plans and policies that will achieve the same or similar ends without the drawbacks of rolling back fundamental human rights. The people of El Salvador were in a desperate situation and so elected a president who took desperate measures. If we want to prevent those desperate measures from gaining popular support, liberal politicians need to provide effective solutions for these desperate problems that work without the need of said desperate measures.
I live in Nicaragua (I’m American) and can say that while yes he does have his critics in Central America, he’s overwhelmingly supported in El Salvador and the people are actually safe, which is not normal for the last several decades.
Sometimes extreme measures are needed. It’s like he said when this started, (paraphrasing) “Where were all these countries when we needed help. Where was their training, money, equipment, etc.? Our people are dying and we’ve had enough! So the world ignored us before and now they want to criticize us. We don’t care.”
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I won’t criticize them for taking much of the steps they did. However I hope that as things are stabilizing that the rights which were stripped away to achieve this will eventually be restored.
As do I.