Quote · The Rest Is Politics
548. Burnham vs. Westminster and Trump’s Next Target
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El Salvador's Mega-Prisons and Latin America's Law-and-Order Turn
At 50:43 · chapter starts 49:20
Rory reframes the structural driver of the right-wing turn: while the first and second pink tides fought over redistribution and equality, current Latin American elections are being fought on crime and security. The Bukele model — mega-prisons packed with near-100 men per cell, no possessions, no visits, lights on 24/7 — is documented as a human rights violation, yet Richard Madeley's documentary found that most viewers across all ages and classes wanted something similar in their own country. Alastair adds that Costa Rica, Colombia, and other countries are adopting similar rhetoric, and references Moises Naim's 'three C's': crime, corruption, and cruelty. The model's appeal is undeniable; its transferability to complex, large countries like Colombia is another matter entirely. Meanwhile, the right is not delivering uniformly — Milei faces protests, Kast's ratings have fallen, Bolivia declared a state of emergency, and Ecuador has seen murders rise 30%. [1] — Alastair Campbell "El Salvador's mega-prisons pack near 100 men per cell with no possessions, no visits, and lights blazing 24/7. It's a documented breach of …" 50:00
El Salvador's mega-prisons pack near 100 men per cell with no possessions, no visits, and lights blazing 24/7. It's a documented breach of human rights — and yet journalist Richard Madeley found that most viewers of his documentary wanted something similar in Britain. That appetite is driving Latin American politics rightward.
The EU is still the largest investor in Brazil and Argentina, and the newly implemented Mercosur deal could offer Latin America a third political and economic anchor beyond the US-China duopoly. For Rory, it's a blueprint for how middle powers can organise themselves against a bipolar world.
