Missouri State University’s Master of International Affairs (MIA) program will host a talk by Dr. Manuel Meléndez-Sánchez from 5:30-7 p.m. Nov. 3 in the Duane G. Meyer Library Auditorium.

The event is free and open to the public.

Meléndez-Sánchez will discuss the public security strategy of El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele’s in “The ‘Bukele Model’: Public Security and Democracy in El Salvador.”

Meléndez-Sánchez is currently a visiting fellow at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame. His visit is part of an informal speaker event series hosted by the MIA program and the Department of Political Science and Philosophy.

Timely and relevant topic

Bukele’s strategy has yielded impressive results in addressing the country’s serious gang problem, said Dr. Gabriel Ondetti, MIA program director. Yet it has also been criticized for eroding its democracy.

Meléndez-Sánchez has explored these issues in two articles published in the Journal of Democracy. “He has some other impressive credentials, since he recently finished his PhD in Political Science at Harvard University and is a visiting researcher at the University of Notre Dame. He is also a native of El Salvador.”

“Our faculty discussed a number of possible topics for this semester’s event,” he said. “We decided that Bukele’s hardline anti-crime approach would be ideal because of the larger issues it raises and the close relationship between Bukele’s government and the Trump Administration.”

Discussion focuses on Bukele’s strategies to combat crime

Meléndez-Sánchez’s talk will underscore the success of Bukele’s policies on crime as well as their impact on civil liberties and democratic structures in El Salvador, Ondetti said.

“Crime is a major problem in many parts of the world, and it has been especially bad in Central America,” Ondetti explained. “Over the last two decades, Central America has been the most violent region in the world other than outright war zones like Syria or Ukraine.”

In particular, El Salvador’s homicide rate reached levels more than 10 times the U.S. rate, according to Ondetti. Gangs, engaged in drug trafficking, extortion and other crimes, have driven this increase.

Meléndez-Sánchez will discuss the impact Bukele has had on that statistic.

“President Bukele has drawn attention mainly because of the extraordinary success of his no-holds-barred crackdown on gangs and crime,” Ondetti said. “For example, the annual homicide rate dropped from 36 homicides for every 100,000 people when Bukele took office in 2019 to only 1.9 in 2024.”

“Many politicians and ordinary citizens in neighboring countries have talked about Bukele’s policy as a model to be followed,” he continued. “At the same time, the crackdown has been accompanied by the explicit suspension of some normal rights and the implicit weakening of others. Some critics argue that El Salvador’s democracy is in danger.”

Gaining insights on public security strategy

Ondetti is particularly excited about how Meléndez-Sánchez will help students better understand public security strategy.

“I think [he] will provide students with some insight into both the benefits and the limitations of a hardline approach to public security,” Ondetti said. “It will also teach them something about a neighboring country that many probably know little about.”

Because students often express interest in the topic, Ondetti covers it in his Latin American Politics course. “That’s part of the reason I wanted to host an event on it,” he said. “I expect the talk will give me some additional insights to work with.”

Likewise, Ondetti hopes audience members will benefit from Meléndez-Sánchez’s visit.

“I hope the audience gains a better understanding of what’s going on in El Salvador and its wider implications for both crime fighting and democracy,” he said.

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