El Salvador: A Far Cry from Peace

The Instituto de Ciencia Política at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile just published its recent volume of Revista de Ciencia Política (RCP). This volume includes sixteen articles from across Latin America that try to make sense of the year 2016.

Kevin Pallister (Guatemala), Orlando Perez (Panama), Fabian Borges (Costa Rica), and I (El Salvador) address Central America.

Here's the abstract from my article on "El Salvador: A Far Cry from Peace":

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. 

You can read these and other contributions here.