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Notes -
Iron fist policing works very well, for a very limited and specific definition of work. They stop the organized criminal activity in an instant—and an instant is also how long you have before the tactics go from 100% effective to 99%.
If you're waiting for an election, crime might not be back noticeably until after the vote. If you have an actual plan to address underline issues, implementation is so much easier right after a crackdown that the best name for these tactics isn't iron fist or crackdown; it's "step one." It's basically got to be step one of absolutely any plan, good or bad, or that plan won't work.
But since it can't accomplish anything on its own, the only thing that guarantees iron fist policing won't work is expecting it to.
Why so? I accept that there are still some organized crime networks in China but the problem there is greatly ameliorated on the murder front, compared to El Salvedor.
Creating jobs and so on is also good but it seems much easier to make jobs in a safe country than a violent one. Merely reducing crime is a good step one.
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