UNDERSTANDING AND ENGAGING BOTSWANA'S IAN KHAMA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 GABORONE 000682

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/03/2019
TAGS: PGOV PINR BC
SUBJECT: UNDERSTANDING AND ENGAGING BOTSWANA'S IAN KHAMA

REF: A. GABORONE 665

B. GABORONE 674 (NOTAL)

Classified By: Ambassador Stephen J. Nolan Reason: 1.4 (b)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) Reformer. Visionary. Maverick. Autocrat. All are
descriptions of Botswana's President Ian Khama that Embassy
staff have heard during the year of his presidency, with the
viewpoints driven by the speaker's political perspective.
Khama has displayed elements of all four descriptions during
his brief tenure, but the man is not easily characterized.
We consider him to be a committed environmentalist who is
most at ease with longtime friends and who chafes at the
barriers that separate him as President from ordinary people.
Khama's biracial identity and disciplined military
background distinguish him from his predecessors. Khama
knows that Botswana's diamonds are not forever and
understands he must push hard to encourage economic
diversification; his opponents' attacks on Khama's disregard
for protracted political debate are best understood as
reflecting a lack of comfort with his intention to move
faster than conservative Batswana culture is used to.
Nevertheless, while Khama may never morph into a natural
politician, he clearly possesses the courage and conviction
that mark a true leader. Our policy challenge is to ensure
that Khama applies the same energy and commitment he brings
to domestic issues to the task of building coalitions of
like-minded countries to make progress on key regional and
Africa-wide challenges. Personal engagement by senior U.S.
leaders is the most likely way to encourage him to invest
time in this effort. End summary.


2. (U) This is the third in a series of cables intended to
address aspects of the U.S.-Botswana partnership that may be
of strategic relevance to the United States. The viewpoints
expressed below come from the observations of Embassy staff
(local and American),as well as a broad variety of
academics, journalists, and politicians.

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REFORMER OR AUTOCRAT?
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3. (C) Since assuming office in April 2008 after the
retirement of former President Festus Mogae, Ian Khama has
worked at breakneck speed (at least by Botswana's standards)
to streamline the operations of government, win total control
of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP),and
revolutionize Botswana's slow-moving, consultative political
culture. His zeal was evident from the beginning, when he
announced a new, reshuffled Cabinet almost immediately, one
that took little account of political balance and focused
instead on delivery and accountability. Since that time he
has made "results" rather than process his top priority, and
he has travelled the country extensively to ensure local
officials are also getting the message.


4. (C) The BDP has long been riven by factionalism, and
Khama's attempts to exert his control over the party have not
gone down well with his opponents. There are two broad
schools of thought on the President's actions. The pro-Khama
view is that the President is tired of the political
wrangling necessary to keep various factions in line and is
fed up with being forced to appoint Ministers and other
officials for political reasons rather than on merit.
Khama's critics, however, allege that he tends to appoint
loyalists and former military colleagues to positions in
party and government in order to surround himself with "yes
men" (and most of them are men) who will not stand up to
Khama.

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BACKGROUND AT ODDS WITH CONSULTATIVE POLITICAL CULTURE
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5. (C) Whether characterized as reformist zeal or dictatorial
meddling, Khama's political style is clearly very different
from the consensus-based approach favored by Batswana, both
politically and otherwise. Khama's personal history as son
of the country's first President, chief of the country's
largest tribe, and longtime head of the military were widely
cited as reasons for his approach. Khama's family background
bestowed upon him a sense of exceptionalism -- if not

GABORONE 00000682 002 OF 003


necessarily entitlement -- practically from birth. Several
observers also cited the fact that Khama's mother Ruth was a
white Englishwoman as an important factor that shaped his
personality. The President was not raised as a typical
Motswana and still prefers English to Setswana in personal
conversation and public speeches. Hence, while his role as
paramount chief of the Bamanangwato should have exposed him
to Batswana cultural traditions, his overriding political and
cultural influences have been Western in nature.


6. (C) Khama's military career was even more widely cited as
a reason for his tendencies to give orders rather than
consult. Khama was appointed as a brigadier general at age
24 (possibly the youngest ever in the world) and Deputy
Commander of the Botswana Defense Force (BDF) upon its 1977
creation, later serving as BDF chief from 1989 until becoming
Vice President in 1998. Hence, Khama has spent most of his
adult life in a professional context in which his orders were
followed with neither negotiation nor dissent. The political
fray is still not a natural arena for him.

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TROUBLE COMMUNICATING POLITICAL VISION AT HOME...
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7. (C) When asked about the nature of Khama's political
vision, observers cited poverty reduction, economic
diversification, and improved government performance as
domestic issues they believe he wants to tackle. However,
they also noted that Khama thus far has not done a good job
communicating this vision. Khama does not like to give
speeches, and while he excels at small group discussions,
particularly with villagers, he tends to avoid contentious
policy issues in these chats. Khama also has yet to (and may
never) develop a close relationship with the local media that
would help him communicate his goals in a more informal
manner; he tends to disdain them as unprofessional and
instead focus on international media, like CNN, the New York
Times, and the Financial Times, with all of whom he has
developed a positive rapport.

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... THOUGH BRAVELY OUTSPOKEN ABROAD
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8. (C) While observers note Khama's difficulties in
communicating his message at home, they note he has no such
troubles outside of Botswana. Khama has made it clear he has
no time for the longstanding practice of African leaders
presenting a united front to the world, showing himself
unafraid to buck the regional and continental consensus on
issues like Zimbabwe, Sudan, and cooperation with Washington,
particularly on military issues. The President also seems to
have little time for organizations like the Africa Union and
Southern African Development Community, which he sees as talk
shops. In this arena, Khama is showing himself to be a
leader unlike any other the continent has seen -- although it
remains to be seen if this boldness will yet result in
anti-Khama backlash from Botswana's neighbors.

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THE PRIVATE KHAMA -- A "CLOSED BOOK"?
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9. (C) Asked what Khama was like as a person, several
observers repeated the phrase "closed book," as the President
is loath to reveal very much about himself on a personal
level. He values his privacy very much, and many think his
anti-local media bias stems partly from this fact. However,
a few pictures of Khama the person did emerge, and suggest he
is not quite so closed as some think:

--The President is a big sports fan, particularly of soccer.
He never misses a national team home game, and he is the
patron of the Botswana Football Association.

--An avid outdoorsman, Khama's commitment to environmental
causes is sincere and personal; his membership on the board
of Conservation International is one of his most cherished
causes, and on his frequent environmental activities in
Botswana he is invariably accompanied by friends.

--Khama is an avowed teetotaler, and his efforts to push
through last year's Liquor Act (which enacted a 30 percent
tax on alcoholic beverages) were driven by his personal
feelings. A few observers noted that they think Khama's
personal distaste stemmed from his own father's problems with

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alcohol, which some think hastened his death in 1980.

--Khama is not religious -- one observer said Khama "fears
church." He will talk to religious leaders on pertinent
policy issues, but not on spiritual matters.

--The President values loyalty, and he keeps a tight circle.
According to one observer, "once you fall out with him, he
can never trust you again."

--He maintains longstanding pre- or extra-political
friendships with people who have no ax to grind. They help
to keep him grounded and provide him a window on the real
world.

--Khama is informal and easy to talk to in one-on-one
conversations, especially on environmental subjects.

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EXPORTING INFLUENCE?
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10. (C) Our policy challenge is to encourage Khama to seek to
build alliances with like-minded countries within SADC and
the AU and try to influence policy outcomes. Being "right"
on issues like Zimbabwe is a virtue, but being effective in
ensuring change is harder and more important for Botswana's
longer term interests. We see several potential allies for
Khama in the sub-region, including potentially Presidents
Kikwete and Zuma, depending on the issues, but it is not yet
clear that Khama is willing to invest time in this
coalition-building effort. Our view in Gaborone is that
personal encouragement by senior USG officials would be the
first and most valuable step towards a more regionally
effective Khama. Engaging him informally on environmental
issues would likely pay significant policy dividends and
could lead to his broader regional engagement.
NOLAN