In this exciting new book, Dr. Spencer and his co-authors provide a comprehensive analysis of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang in El Salvador. Using primary source material, interviews, and field research, the authors examine the gang’s ideology, strategy, leadership techniques, and hierarchy. They also describe the operational practices of the illegal group to include the gang’s use of violence, control of territory, and popular support.

Methodologically, the research on MS-13 is conducted with the same approach used to assess the Colombian insurgency, the Adversarial Systems Approach. This method offers a new way to help the reader understand the complex dynamics of the Maras, their possible impacts on various the social, political, and economic realms and what does it portend for the future.