Bukele made a bet that security is the foundation layer. That everything, GDP, tourism, foreign investment, diaspora return, builds on top of safety. The numbers say he was right. The method will be debated for decades.

Bukele made a bet that security is the foundation layer. That everything, GDP, tourism, foreign investment, diaspora return, builds on top of safety. The numbers say he was right. The method will be debated for decades. In 2015, El Salvador had a murder rate of 106.3 per 100,000. The literal murder capital of the world. Six years of failed truces, 16 killings per day, entire neighborhoods paying monthly extortion to MS-13 just to keep their doors open. Today the murder rate is 1.9 per 100,000. That's a 98% drop. In 2025 it fell further to 1.36. In 2026 so far,...