Where does the term 'Banana Republic' come from? | CNN

File photo.

Banana workers spray plants in the Dominican Republic.

(Credit: R. Gates / Archive Photos / Getty Images)

(CNN Spanish) -

In a reprimand to the followers of President Donald Trump who stormed the Capitol this Wednesday, former President George W. Bush compared this act of internal terrorism to what happens in the "banana republics."

"Laura and I are watching the scenes of chaos unfolding at our nation's headquarters with disbelief and dismay," Bush wrote in a statement Wednesday.

“It is a disgusting and heartbreaking sight.

This is how the results of elections are disputed in a banana republic, not in our democratic republic.

Bush used "Banana Republic" in contrast to a democracy.

This is a term that has been coined since the mid-20th century to describe politically unstable, backward, and even corrupt countries.

It is, according to the political analyst of CNN en Español, Jorge Dávila Miguel, a derogatory term to "insult" the dignity of the country.

"The term is derogatory, inferior to what is considered to be the United States," said Dávila Miguel.

"It is an insult to the dignity of this country."

The term was originally coined by the American writer William Sydney Porter, alias O. Henry, in the short story "The Admiral", published in 1904. With it, Dávila explained, he made reference to these types of unstable countries dominated by the United States. .. In this story O. Henry speaks of an imaginary state subjected to a fruit export company.

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“A 'banana republic' is a derogatory term for a country of slight civic or political organization.

But this disorganization is not only due to a "national genetic ideological political code", but also due to the political presence of the North American banana growing [companies] that had an influence to maintain favorable conditions in the trade and exploitation of these plantations, "he said. Davila Miguel.

The «Banana Republics»

The banana republics are those Central American countries, independent at the beginning of the 19th century, where bananas were grown, and which the US saw practically as its own territory.

Some private companies came to dominate these territories, such as Costa Rica and Guatemala, among others.

"Banana republics" are those countries in the Western Hemisphere that were dominated by the United Fruit Company in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, wrote Daniel Kurtz-Phelan in The New York Times: The company was "more powerful than many nation states … A law in itself and accustomed to considering the republics as its private fiefdom.

The United Fruit Company expanded in Central American countries to plant bananas, expelling indigenous peasants from some countries such as Panama and Costa Rica, to fulfill its purposes, collects the 2018 documentary produced by Deutsche Welle called "On bananas and republics" .

With this he leads "to ruin small planters who do not want to give up their banana plantations."

But what is not mentioned is that this "American exceptionalism" referred to by Bush is the responsibility of the United States in those underdeveloped countries.

"It is a painful part of that truth of the 'banana republics' where agricultural workers worked for very low wages and infamous social and labor conditions for a greater profit in the import of the beautiful and tasty fruit," said Dávila Miguel.

In other words, a banana republic "is caused by US neo-colonial rule," said the expert.

Other politicians have compared the US to "banana republics"

Former President Bush has not been the only one to criticize the Trump administration and compare it disparagingly to the term in question.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a frequent critic of Trump, said in late November on CNN's "State of the Union" show that Trump's behavior of wanting to dismiss the presidential election, which Joe Biden won, was similar to that of seen in a 'banana republic'.

And even Trump's friend, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, called Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani and his cohorts a "national shame" for these events.

But Trump's intervention in the elections is not the only time that he has been criticized for running the US as a "banana republic."

So did US District Judge Reggie Walton in September 2019 accusing Donald Trump of meddling in judicial investigations.

Walton likened the White House meddling in an investigation into former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe to a "banana republic" and accused senior officials of undermining the "integrity" of the judicial process.

"I don't think people like the fact that you have someone in power, basically trying to dictate whether or not someone should be investigated," Walton said in a court document.

"I think it's a 'banana republic when we go down that road."

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