History Main / BananaRepublic

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_Verde_%28fictional_country%29 Val Verde]] is an especially prolific Banana Republic placeholder in fiction land. It originally appeared, or was referenced, in three action movies: ''Film/{{Commando}}'', ''Film/{{Predator}}'', and ''Film/DieHard2'' (and later in the video game parodying such movies, ''VideoGame/BroForce''), but has been featured or homaged in the TV shows ''Supercarrier'' and ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', the comic series ''ComicBook/SheenaQueenOfTheJungle'', and many, many more. It started as a little in-joke for screenwriter Steven E. de Souza, who had a family background in Latin America and the Caribbean and wanted to set his action movies there without causing legal or diplomatic problems with portrayals of real countries, and then just grew from there.

[[folder:Web Original]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' episode "Venture Libre", the characters go to one of these named Puerto Bahía. Its president is supported by the USA, and the country itself seems to be mostly jungles, coffee plantations and sweatshops. [[spoiler: It is also home to LaResistance consisting of freaks of super-science.]]

* On ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', in the episode "Bart vs. Australia," Bart is calling random countries in the Southern Hemisphere to ask which direction the water drains in their sinks and toilets. He reaches the office of a dictator in an unknown Latin American country, and asks about the water draining question through an interpreter. The interpreter misunderstands the question, thinking that Bart just told him "the tide is turning," and the dictator panics that the revolutionaries will overthrow him and throws himself out the window.
--> '''Bart''': I can't get a straight answer out of this crazy hemisphere!

** Even the current prime minister Giorgia Meloni (who is the leader of a right-to-far-right party) once used the term in an official discourse: she was accused of breaking the electoral promise of stopping what she previously dubbed as illegal immigrants, either for alleged pressures by the European Union or do-ut-des convenience. Thus, she made a public statement that "we are not a banana republic" and that she would act to enforce legality, ([[https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2022/12/giorgia-meloni-litalia-non--la-repubblica-delle-banane-difenderemo-la-legalit-18bd715f-0276-479b-b6ef-38ad3e208c93.html here]], in Italian).

* While being certainly a richer and more independent country, it is not rare in Italian journalism and political discussion to see the state being mocked as a "banana republic", namely "repubblica delle banane". The meaning is that politicians are incompetent and corrupt, breaking promises and bypassing laws for their own interest, if not making hypocrital compromises that don't solve issues but allow them to keep power and money.
** Even the current prime minister Giorgia Meloni (who is the leader of a right-to-far-right party) once used the term in an official discourse: she was accused of breaking the electoral promise of stopping what she previously dubbed as illegal immigrants either for alleged pressures by the European Union or do-ut-des convenience. Thus, she made a public discourse stating "we are not a banana republic", and that she would act to enforce state legality, [[https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2022/12/giorgia-meloni-litalia-non--la-repubblica-delle-banane-difenderemo-la-legalit-18bd715f-0276-479b-b6ef-38ad3e208c93.html here (in Italian)]].

** Even the current prime minister Giorgia Meloni (who is the leader of a far-right party and after being elected switched from harsh opposition against Western organizations such as NATO to more friendly stances) once used the term in an official discourse: she was accused of breaking the electoral promise of stopping what she previously dubbed as illegal immigrants either for alleged pressure by the European Union or do-ut-des convenience. Thus, she made a public discourse stating "we are not a banana republic", and that she would act to enforce state legality, [[https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2022/12/giorgia-meloni-litalia-non--la-repubblica-delle-banane-difenderemo-la-legalit-18bd715f-0276-479b-b6ef-38ad3e208c93.html here (in Italian)]].

* While being certainly a richer and more independent country, it is not rare in Italian journalism and political discussion to see the state being mocked as a "banana republic", namely "repubblica delle banane". The meaning is that functionaries, officers, politicians, and ministers are generally incompetent, ignorant, liars, and corrupt, if not outwright bypassing laws for their own interest and making hypocrital compromises that don't solve issues but allow them to keep power and money. Even the current prime minister Giorgia Meloni (who is the leader of a far-right party and after being elected switched from harsh opposition against Western organizations such as NATO to more friendly stances) once used the term in an official discourse: she was accused of breaking the electoral promise of stopping what she previously dubbed as illegal immigrants either for alleged pressure by the European Union or do-ut-des convenience. Thus, she made a public discourse stating "we are not a banana republic", and that she would act to enforce state legality, [[https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2022/12/giorgia-meloni-litalia-non--la-repubblica-delle-banane-difenderemo-la-legalit-18bd715f-0276-479b-b6ef-38ad3e208c93.html here (in Italian)]]. On a more humorous note, the Italian enterpreneur and industrialist Gianni Agnelli once remarked that Italy is not really a banana republic because "in Italy there are not bananas, but a lot of Indian figs" ([[https://www.corriere.it/economia/finanza/cards/fiat-juventus-ferrari-ed-europa-venti-frasi-famose-dell-avvocato-agnelli/italia-non-ci-sono-banane-ma-solo-fichi-d-india.shtml here, again in Italian)]]. This was said after the resign, on 6th January 2002, of the foreign affairs minister Renato Ruggiero, under the center-right wing government of Silvio Berlusconi, because he was pro-European Union and clashed with the anti-European Union stances of the North League party (which was part of Berlusconi's coalition).

* While being certainly a richer and more independent country, it is not rare in Italian journalism and political discussion to see the state being mocked as a "banana republic", namely "repubblica delle banane". The meaning is that functionaries, officers, politicians, and ministers are generally incompetent, ignorant, liars, and corrupt, if not outwright bypassing laws for their own interest and making hypocrital compromises that don't solve issues but allow them to keep power and money. Even the current prime minister Giorgia Meloni (who is the leader of a far-right party and after being elected switched from harsh opposition against Western organizations such as NATO to more friendly stances) once made a public discourse stating "we are not a banana republic", [[https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2022/12/giorgia-meloni-litalia-non--la-repubblica-delle-banane-difenderemo-la-legalit-18bd715f-0276-479b-b6ef-38ad3e208c93.html here (in Italian)]] and that she would act to enforce state legality, against the accuse from her voters of breaking the electoral promise of stopping what she dubbed as illegal immigrants - either for alleged pressure by Europe or do-ut-des convenience. Previously, the Italian enterpreneur and industrialist Gianni Agnelli once remarked that Italy is not really a banana republic because "in Italy there are not bananas, but a lot of Indian figs" ([[https://www.corriere.it/economia/finanza/cards/fiat-juventus-ferrari-ed-europa-venti-frasi-famose-dell-avvocato-agnelli/italia-non-ci-sono-banane-ma-solo-fichi-d-india.shtml here, again in Italian)]]. This was said after the resign, on 6th January 2002, of the foreign affairs minister Renato Ruggiero, under the center-right wing government of Silvio Berlusconi, because he was pro-European Union and clashed with the anti-European Union stances of the North League party (which was part of Berlusconi's coalition).

* While being certainly a richer and more developed and independent country, it is not rare in Italian journalism and political discussion to see the state being mocked as a "banana republic", namely "repubblica delle banane". The meaning is that functionaries, officers, politicians, and ministers are generally incompetent, ignorant, and corrupt, if not outwright bypassing laws for their own interest and making hypocrital compromises that don't solve issues but allow them to keep power and money. Even the current prime minister Giorgia Meloni (who is the leader of a far-right party and after being elected switched from total opposition against the USA, the EU, and Western liberal democracies, to more friendly stances) once made a public discourse stating "we are not a banana republic", [[https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2022/12/giorgia-meloni-litalia-non--la-repubblica-delle-banane-difenderemo-la-legalit-18bd715f-0276-479b-b6ef-38ad3e208c93.html here (in Italian)]] and that she would act to enforce state legality, against the accuse from her electors of breaking the promise of stopping illegal immigrants - either for alleged pressure by Europe or do-ut-des convenience. Instead, the Italian enterpreneur and industrialist Gianni Agnelli once remarked that Italy is not really a banana republic because "in Italy there are not bananas, but a lot of Indian figs" ([[https://www.corriere.it/economia/finanza/cards/fiat-juventus-ferrari-ed-europa-venti-frasi-famose-dell-avvocato-agnelli/italia-non-ci-sono-banane-ma-solo-fichi-d-india.shtml here, again in Italian)]]. This was said after the resign, on 6th January 2002, of the foreign affairs minister Renato Ruggiero, under the center-right wing government of Silvio Berlusconi, because he was pro-European Union and clashed with the anti-European Union stances of the North League party (which was part of Berlusconi's coalition).

* While being certainly a richer and more developed and independent country, it is not rare in Italian journalism and political discussion to see the state being mocked as a "banana republic", namely "repubblica delle banane", meaning that functionaries, officers, politicians, and ministers are generally incompetent, ignorant, and corrupt, if not outwright bypassing laws for their own interest. Even presidents used the term.
** There is another common joke about this, often paired: that issues in Italy are solved "a tarallucci e vino", meaning "with biscuits and wine". That is, from harshly arguing to friendly chatting and sharing a sweet meal. It is implicit that it is not a good thing when dealing with politics, legality, and similar, because the compromises are hypocrital and don't solve issues and political crises, but keep previously conflicting people in power. For example, two opposite political representatives might "settle" their differences as long as their keep their public seats and positions, and thus, prestige, power, and money; or when an enterpreneur clashes with laws, then comes an "agreement" that allows the former to continue their interests, and legal men to get some benefits.
** The use of the term "repubblica delle banane" in Italian is often used as a generic remark for corruption and stupidity, without particular emphasis on the foreign-backed part. However, it is of no help that both in left-wing and right-wing contexts a controversial topic is that Italy, being both part of NATO and a losing power of ww2, is also sometimes perceived by less moderate people as being subservient to the United States, hosting a wide selection of military bases on its territory, and with governments generally aligning with American foreign policies - as long as one hand washes the other. When this doesn't happen, such as with the former prime minister Bettino Craxi during TheEighties, the political career ultimately comes to an end because some private scandals arise out of the blue.
** Interestingly, contrary to what happens in most Latin-American countries, a lot of criticism comes from conservatives electors too and even neofascists, no less than from left wing parties. For example, before being elected, the current prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, often criticized the European Union, the United States, and Western liberal democracies, while complimenting people such as Vladimir Putin and Russia for their policies (her party, Fratelli d'Italia, is a right-to-far-right wing party). However, after being elected, she quickly aligned with NATO positions and reassured Italian cooperation with European and Atlantic organization, leading many of her electors to be outraged. In one occasion she was accused of breaking the electoral promise of stopping illegal migrants, either because of alleged pressure from the European Union to support integration, or for do-ut-des convenience. This ultimately led her to make once a public discourse stating "we are not a banana republic", [[https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2022/12/giorgia-meloni-litalia-non--la-repubblica-delle-banane-difenderemo-la-legalit-18bd715f-0276-479b-b6ef-38ad3e208c93.html here (in Italian)]] and that she would act to enforce state legality.
** The Italian enterpreneur and industrialist Gianni Agnelli once remarked that Italy is not really a banana republic because "in Italy there are not bananas, but a lot of Indian figs" ([[https://www.corriere.it/economia/finanza/cards/fiat-juventus-ferrari-ed-europa-venti-frasi-famose-dell-avvocato-agnelli/italia-non-ci-sono-banane-ma-solo-fichi-d-india.shtml here (again in Italian)]]. This was said after the resign, on 6th January 2002, of the foreign affairs minister Renato Ruggiero, under the center-right wing government of Silvio Berlusconi, because he was pro-European Union and clashed with the anti-European Union stances of the North League party (which was part of Berlusconi's coalition). The Indian fig appears sweet but is full of spines, the meaning of Agnelli's phrase was sarcasm towards League politicians as a spine in the flank of the government coalition.

Since it was usually left-wing guerrillas who opposed the dictatorships [[note]](even though they [[MeetTheNewBoss didn't necessarily establish democratic or egalitarian societies]] [[FullCircleRevolution once they got to power;]] see Cuba, where they did the latter but not the former)[[/note]] in Latin America, such as the 26th of July Movement in Cuba and the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, the term is associated with countries that have governments that are controlled by multinational corporations, and not with just ''any'' decadent dictatorship per se. In Europe and the U.S, the connotation tends to fall more closely with that of any dictatorship in any tropical country, capitalist, socialist, or what have you. Although, possible exceptions notwithstanding, there aren't really any left in Latin America these days, [[TruthInTelevision they can still be found]] in Africa and Southeast Asia.

* The Fast Show had a recurring sketch featuring a TV channel called 'Chanel 9', from a fictitious European country called "Republicca Democratia Militaria", run by El Presidente. The country is a parody of the sort of TV seen by British tourists in Spain during Franco's rule, with elements of other Mediterranean countries thrown in.

* ''Dictator'', an obscure text-based UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum game, allows you to control the people of another fictional republic of Ritimba... not for long, still, due to it being an EndlessGame (it's impossible to please '''every layer of society''', you see). [[labelnote:Sidenote]]Make sure you have got an escape plane and a couple of bodyguards before a revolution starts... they LOVE throwing revolutions at your head. Literally.[[/labelnote]]

* ''Même les pommes de terre ont des yeux!'', a French AdventureGame for the UsefulNotes/AppleII, is set in a fictional "Répoublique" where El Presidente has just been overthrown by a dictator.

* Colombia during the 20th century. United Fruit had a lot of power in the government, which allowed it to exploit the workers without any consequences. This incited a number of protests that led to the "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_massacre Masacre de las Bananeras]],"[[note]][[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Massacre of the Banana Pickers]][[/note]] in 1928 in which the Colombian army shot the protesters by the order of the government under the influence of both United Fruit and the US government, who threatened to invade if the Colombian government didn't protect the company's interest.
** The advertising slogan ''The man from Del Monte, he say "Yes!"'' is regarded as too near to reality in many Central and South American countries. you wonder why...

* The UsefulNotes/{{Philippines}} could count as a downplayed version of this—downplayed in the sense that at least its leaders were mostly [[BlatantLies "democratically"]] elected, even the dictator UsefulNotes/FerdinandMarcos (Sr.), who was not a military officer but a civilian lawyer and politician.[[note]]He did serve as an officer during the Second World War, but there remain controversies about the veracity of his exploits to this day.[[/note]] For most of its history, however, the Philippine economy has been tied to the American market, and to this day, the US is still one of the country's largest trading partners. Also, as with Cuba above, the Philippines counts more as a ''sugarcane'' republic—its sugarcane plantations were grown by and large to be sold for export. Bananas are also grown, though, and the country was ''third'' in the world in banana production by 2017. Nowadays, however, the country's prime export is ''people'' (i.e., labor).
** [[FridgeLogic Which technically makes it a ''People's Republic''.]]
** In fact, it was a full-blown PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny during TheSeventies, in the heyday of the less democratic, more openly dictatorial martial law era. FridgeLogic ensues even more when you recall that Marcos, in power then, actually encouraged the first overseas Filipino workers to go abroad, thus making him the originator of the country's "labor export policy" … so yes, the Philippines in this case counts as a "People's Republic", in both senses of the word!
** One reason for the "Banana Republic" comparison is that most Philippine presidents and governments have been beholden to American policy since before "independence" (when the country was in fact a directly-ruled US colony). Even textbook history will tell you that [[TheSvengali the CIA effected the successful election of Ramon Magsaysay as President]][[note]]and what's less known is the CIA's Plan B: they were also willing to help him [[MilitaryCoup coup out incumbent president Elpidio Quirino in case Quirino won reelection in 1953]], which would qualify the country even more for Banana Republic status if said coup had been needed and succeeded[[/note]], that the country's first "independence-era" president Manuel Roxas Sr. was as much, and as unabashedly, [[TheQuisling an American collaborator]] as a Japanese one (what with his incestuous friendship with "Liberator" Douglas [=MacArthur=]), and the US government in general served as an influential advisor to Marcos during the martial law years.
** Plus, having endured '''300''' years of Spanish colonial rule (and Catholic proselytization) ''before'' the Americans ever showed up, the Philippines also has the dubious distinction of [[LatinLand feeling like a Latin American republic misplaced in Asia,]] which inevitably invites comparisons to the actual Latin America.

* There is a [[RussianHumor Russian joke:]] What is the difference between a banana republic and a [[UsefulNotes/TheNewRussia petroleum superstate]]? The answer: [[spoiler:Bananas are a renewable resource.]]
** Which pretty well describes how Iran prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution was little different from a banana republic...or perhaps "banana monarchy" in its case. The left-leaning elected leader Mohammed Mossadegh was overthrown by the CIA and [[UsefulNotes/SecretIntelligenceService MI6]] in 1953 out of fears that he would go Communist, and because he was nationalizing the Iranian assets of what would later become [[MegaCorp British Petroleum,]] and the previous absolute monarchy was then restored under the compliantly pro-Western and anti-communist Shah Reza Pahlavi. Ironically, the Shah fancied being a revolutionary himself, and launched a campaign of sweeping reforms and dramatic changes that had the side effect of infuriating and radicalizing the clergy, who overthrew him in the 1979 revolution.

* The ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series has Outer Heaven in the original ''VideoGame/MetalGear1'' and Zanzibarland in ''VideoGame/MetalGear2SolidSnake''. The later ''Metal Gear Solid'' games mostly avert this, with the exception of ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4'': Act 2 takes place in an unspecified country in 'South America', which [[AllThereInTheScript the end credits reveals to be Peru.]] But at that point of the series alternate history, it seems to fir the trope perfectly. There's also Gindra in ''VideoGame/MetalGearGhostBabel''. Well, Ghost Babel does take place in the same place as [=MG1=]...

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS3E71TheMirror The Mirror]]" begins with Ramos Clemente having seized power in an unnamed country in Central America, which had been ruled by General De Cruz for the previous ten years.