What is a ‘Banana Republic’ and are we even using the term correctly?

James Curry, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Utah, says that politicians have seemingly been using the word to mean something different than its usual meaning.

“In recent years we have seen people increasingly use the term “banana republic” to describe a democracy in decline, or a government in chaos or disorder. In recent days it has basically become the buzzword used by folks to describe their disgust in the attack on the U.S. Capitol Building and President Trump’s reluctance to concede the 2020 election to President Elect-Joe Biden,” he says. “But the term was originally coined to describe a country that is controlled economically by a single industry or powerful corporation, and is for that reason, political unstable.”

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