A few years ago, El Salvador was one of the most violent nations in the world, with gang killings taking the lives of dozens of people every week. Nayib Bukele, elected president in 2019, changed all that—today, violence is way down. But his brute-force approach to the problem has involved mass arrests, secret deals, and forced disappearances into a harsh prison system—which is apparently the envy of many in the Trump administration.Filmmaker Neil Brandvold has covered much of El Salvador’s transition from dangerous gangland to authoritarian dreamworld, and he joins The Kicker to explain the methods Bukele used to construct his fragile peace. Read/Watch more:*Neil’s 2024 <a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJKt0hvzy7w'>Fault Lines documentary</a> on El Salvador’s gang crackdown.*Neil’s 2018 <a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=7deancj6lzw'>Economist video</a> about a religious reform movement for gang members.*Neil’s 2019 <a href='https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/americas/100000006335421/el-salvador-migrants-gang-violence.html'>New York Times video</a> including interview with Nayib Bukele.*El Faro’s <a href='https://elfaro.net/en/202009/el_salvador/24785/Bukele-Has-Been-Negotiating-with-MS-13-for-a-Reduction-in-Homicides-and-Electoral-Support.htm'>2020 investigative reporting</a> on Bukele’s early deals with the MS-13 gang.  Hosted by <a href='https://www.cjr.org/author/josh-hersh'>Josh Hersh</a> Produced by <a href='https://www.cjr.org/author/amanda-darrach'>Amanda Darrach</a>

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