164/ El Salvador's Gang State w/ Michael Paarlberg

The Fire These Times: Voices from the Periphery

For episode 164, Dana El-Kurd is joined by Michael Paarlbeg, associate professor of political science at Virginia Commonwealth University, to discuss the intersection between crime and authoritarian politics in Latin America. They particularly focus on the the state of emergency happening today in El Salvador, covering the rise of Nayib Bukele and the political implications of the “gang state” emerging in the country.

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Show notes:

• Transnational Gangs and Criminal Remittances (academic article, Comparative Migration Studies)

• The Emerging Gang State in El Salvador (Global Americans)

• Gang Membership in Central America: More Complex Than Meets the Eye (Migration Policy Institute)

• How a Fake Gang Crisis in the US Fueled a Real One in Central America (Duke conference)

• Gangs, Guns and Judas Priest (The Guardian)

Credits:

• Host(s): ⁠⁠Dana El-Kurd

• Guest(s): Michael Paarlberg

• Music: ⁠⁠⁠Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠

• Sound editor: Liam Evans

• Episode designer: ⁠⁠Elia J. Ayoub⁠⁠

• Team profile pics: ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠

• Original TFTT design: ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠

• TFTT Transcripts: ⁠⁠Antidotezine⁠