The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 plus 8 letter word BANANA REPUBLIC
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
B
A
N
A
N
A
R
E
P
U
B
L
I
C
More clues leading to the result BANANA REPUBLIC
- People following old lady in bleak, poor state
- Disallow gossip about people in dodgy country
- Is all of its strength in its hands?
- Controversial Caribbean plan to embrace United States under Trump’s leadership?
- Boycott sporting arena well-known in tropical basket case
- Cap annual bribe that’s corrupted client state?
- Politically unstable country needing a hand?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Is all of its strength in its hands" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case is all of its strength in its hands = banana republic.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.