El Salvador as an application of Hobbes' Leviathan

At the helm of El Salvador since 2019, Nayib Bukele is pursuing a shock policy to reduce crime. His vision of power is reminiscent of a classic of political philosophy: Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan.

«Lonely, wretched, dangerous, brutish and brief»: this is how Thomas Hobbes characterized human life without the regulation of a sovereign. These words, written in the 17th century, have found a disturbing echo in the daily lives of Salvadorans since the 2000s. Nestled between Guatemala and Honduras, facing the immensity of the Pacific, El Salvador has been the scene of extreme violence for over ten years. The wars and atrocities waged by mafia gangs - the maras - made any hope of human and economic development impossible.

In 2019, a decisive turning point came with the election of Nayib Bukele to the presidency.