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Articles

Vol. 37 No. 2 (2017)

El Salvador: a far cry from peace

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4067/s0718-090x2017000200449
Submitted
December 12, 2019
Published
2017-08-31

Abstract

 El Salvador continues to struggle with elevated levels of criminal violence perpe­trated by street gangs, drug trafficking organizations, members of the security forc­es, and other criminal groups. The Attorney General’s Office and courts have taken some positive steps towards tackling impunity for current and civil war-era crimes. However, a history of corruption and favoritism within those institutions continues to undermine citizens’ faith in the legitimacy of their actions. Finally, El Salvador confronts a challenging road ahead characterized by uncertainty over the implica­tions of an overturned amnesty law, low rates of economic growth, and a new U.S. president in the White House.