Erik Ching > Quotes

“Postwar El Salvador, which another Salvadoran has described as a “casi nación” (an almost nation) sometimes seems like a small geographic space at the mercy of international forces that serves as a transit point for foreign-made goods, some licit others illicit.”
― Erik Ching, Stories of Civil War in El Salvador: A Battle over Memory

“It is not uncommon for people in poor urban neighborhoods and in rural communities to say that when boys become teenagers they face two options, migrate to the United States or join a gang.”
― Erik Ching, Stories of Civil War in El Salvador: A Battle over Memory

“The rank and file members of the guerrillas and their civilian sympathizers paid some of the heaviest prices during the war and a recurrent theme running through their testimonials is an uncertainty about whether the costs were worth the rewards. 41 They certainly celebrate their role in democratizing El Salvador, but they wonder what good is democracy in the midst of ongoing economic hardship and inequality.”
― Erik Ching, Stories of Civil War in El Salvador: A Battle over Memory

“A good part of the state’s assets were privatized, including electric power distribution, banks, and telecommunications. The country lacks a national currency, having shifted from the colón to the U.S. dollar in 2001. The country’s main export is people, who travel to and remain in the United States and other countries and send back remittances, which constitute one of the largest contributions to the nation’s GDP; drug money-laundering may bring in more than remittances, but nobody knows for sure. A sizable proportion of economically viable enterprises are now owned wholly or partially by multinational corporations, including the important banks, all communications (mobile phones and internet), beer, petroleum derivatives, and airlines. The country imports a lot of what it consumes, especially foodstuffs, energy, and health products, which is reflected in a chronic trade deficit that would be unsustainable were it not for remittances.”
― Erik Ching, Stories of Civil War in El Salvador: A Battle over Memory

“The RN was centered around Suchitoto, and more specifically on the northern slope of the Guazapa volcano.”
― Erik Ching, Stories of Civil War in El Salvador: A Battle over Memory