The more things change, the more they stay the same

David Gagne on Tracing the Evolution of Military-Criminal Networks in Guatemala, El Salvador for Insight Crime:

Recent legal actions against former military officials in El Salvador and Guatemala illustrate how the shadowy military networks currently operating in these countries have their roots in criminal rings that stretch back decades.

In speaking with David, I kept thinking back to The Protection Racket State(s) that the Guatemalan and Salvadoran militaries ran during the 1980s.

"The things we are seeing now, we have been hearing about for 20 or 30 years," Allison told InSight Crime.

They were often the source of the violence but they would convince the US and Salvadoran and Guatemalan elites that they were the only groups capable of defeating the bad guys and keeping them safe. Just give them more money and other resources, both in official and unofficial capacities.