El Salvador and US: Closer Than Ever in Diplomacy?

4 weeks ago7 min read3 comments

When United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on El Salvador’s national day that the two nations 'had never been closer,' the statement demanded a more rigorous examination than the polished social media friendship between Presidents Donald Trump and Nayib Bukele might suggest. This diplomatic pronouncement, reminiscent of the kind of strategic optimism seen during Cold War alignments, warrants a deep dive into the complex historical context of US-El Salvador relations, a partnership historically defined by interventionism, civil war, and conditional aid rather than genuine camaraderie.To understand the present, one must first look to the past, where US involvement was often a double-edged sword; during the Salvadoran Civil War, American support for the right-wing government against leftist guerrillas was a central pillar of Washington's Cold War policy in Central America, leaving a legacy of deep-seated political fractures and human rights controversies that have taken decades to even begin to mend. The current collaboration, heavily focused on a shared security agenda against gang violence, represents a significant recalibration.President Bukele’s controversial, iron-fisted policies, which have dramatically reduced homicide rates but raised profound concerns over democratic norms and mass incarceration, have found a receptive audience in certain US political circles that prioritize stability and migration control over institutional checks and balances. This pragmatic alignment, however, is a far cry from a meeting of the minds on democratic values.As Professor Erik Ching and other regional analysts would likely argue, the relationship's newfound 'closeness' is a transactional one, built on a convergence of immediate interests rather than a shared vision for the future. The US seeks a partner to manage regional migration flows and counter Chinese influence in its backyard, while Bukele leverages US support to bolster his domestic political capital and international legitimacy.This is a fragile foundation, vulnerable to shifts in Washington's political winds or a change in San Salvador's security calculus. The historical precedent suggests that such alliances of convenience, while potent in the short term, often falter when core interests diverge, leaving one to ponder whether the current chapter is a genuine diplomatic reset or merely a temporary truce in a long and complicated bilateral history.

#featured

#El Salvador

#United States

#diplomacy

#security cooperation

#bilateral relations

#Nayib Bukele

#Donald Trump