Meet Nayib Bukele: The 'World's Coolest Dictator'

He's young, he's slick, he's social media savvy and he rules with an iron first. Meet Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador who has quickly become an icon of the global right. 

He might style himself as the 'world's coolest dictator' and a 'philosopher king', but this leader is not like other authoritarian rulers. For a start, he's incredibly popular both at home and abroad - befriending the likes of Elon Musk and President Donald Trump. His rapid crackdown on gang-related crime has been labelled the 'Bukele miracle' and is being seen everywhere from Ecuador to America as a model to emulate. But it hasn't come without a steep cost... 

Journalist Vera Bergengruen is one of the only foreign journalists to have met and interviewed President Nayib Bukele. She wrote a profile of him for TIME Magazine. She speaks to Geraldine Doogue (2025 Andrew Olle lecture) and Hamish Macdonald (ABC Sydney Mornings, The Project) about what Nayib Bukele is really like. 

Recommendations:

Geraldine: How are drones changing the landscape of modern warfare?   | BBC, The Inquiry podcast.

Hamish: The 'evil drug' and court case that almost broke Alex Lloyd | Australian Story

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