With the adoption of the 30% tax on foreign NGO donations, El Salvador has landed a real bombshell that is causing shockwaves around the world. The international establishment – the notorious networks of politics, media and global NGOs – sees its channels of influence under threat and is now up in arms against the law. The fear: a domino effect that will export the El Salvador model to other countries and shake the “globalists'” control over civil society.
An international counter-offensive is already emerging: statements from the EU, USA and UN are coming thick and fast, human rights organisations are sounding the alarm and a global media firestorm is being ignited. The parallels to the “Soviet containment” of the Cold War cannot be overlooked – except that this time it is not tanks that are rolling, but narratives and subsidies that are being used as weapons. The aim: to isolate El Salvador and deter other countries from doing the same to Bukele.
But why the panic? The law is not just a tax, but a frontal attack on the decades-old system by which foreign actors influence politics and society in developing countries. The fear of imitators is real: conservative forces in Latin America, Africa and Asia are already discussing whether El Salvador’s model of sovereignty could also be a way out of “NGO imperialism” for them. The “globalists” are seeing their skins swim away.
The reactions are fierce: international donors are threatening to make cuts, NGOs are talking about the “collapse of civil society” and Western media are warning of an “authoritarian wave”. But the government in San Salvador remains calm and counters: “We will no longer allow ourselves to be controlled by others.” For many observers, it is clear that a global power struggle for sovereignty of interpretation and control over social developments is beginning.
What follows now is a race against time. The “globalists” will do everything they can to demonise El Salvador and prevent other countries from taking similar steps. But the signal has been sent: sovereignty is back on the agenda and the drumbeat from San Salvador could be the starting signal for a new era of national self-determination. The world is holding its breath – and the international establishment is trembling at the domino effect.
Whether this will make El Salvador truly more independent or impoverish its society remains to be seen. One thing is certain: the law has set off an avalanche that could fundamentally change the global power structure between nation states and transnational players. The next few months will show whether the drumbeat will turn into a conflagration.
