Subject Balkanization conspiracy theory !!! Summary: The term balkanization has its own special meaning in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it refers to a conspiracy theory that foreign interests seek to divide the DRC into smaller client states in order to facilitate access to the countrys vast mineral reserves. Many prominent Congolese are quick to assert that United States is among the foreign powers poised to balkanize the DRC, just as many Congolese appear to believe that the U.S. favors alleged Rwandan designs vis-a-vis the DRC. It is not clear how broad-based such views are or if they result primarily from government manipulation of public opinion. Regardless, addressing balkanization should be an important element of Mission outreach strategy. End summary. No to the balkanization of the DRC! --------------------------------------------- --- 2. (U) On February 2, PAS Kinshasa staff visited Freddy Mulumbu, editorial director of the newspaper Le Potentiel, to discuss the balkanization theory, the idea that Western, business interests and political lobbies have a plan to divide the DRC, undermine national sovereignty and state power, and keep the country enmeshed in violence and underdevelopment in order to exploit its natural resources. One of Le Potentiels former journalists, Emmanuel Kabongo, a major proponent of the Balkanization theory, was also present. (Note: Le Potentiel is one of the most widely read, influential, and relatively independent newspapers in Kinshasa. Every day the front page runs a small box that says: No to the Balkanization of the DRC! and the theme is often discussed in news articles, editorials and signed commentary. Through Le Potentiel, its television channel, Tele 7, and high-profile conferences and debates, the proponents of balkanization have an extremely powerful media platform. End note.) 3. (SBU) Mulumba started off by saying that during a trip to Canada in 2009, he met an individual (whom he didnt identify), who said: There is a project to detach the eastern DRC from the rest of the country. After that, Mulumba found supporting evidence in John Le Carres Mission Song (a novel), opinion journalism like The Congo Doesnt Exist, by Jeffrey Herbst and Greg Mills in Foreign Policy magazine, comments by former Congresswomen Cynthia McKinney, and the writings of controversial Belgian journalist Collette Braeckman. Mulumba said his suspicions were confirmed when President Joseph Kabila said in his recent New Years address that the Congolese people had successfully defeated efforts to balkanize their country. Mulumba also saw the opening of diplomatic offices in the Kivus by the U.S., Belgium and France as evidence that these powers wish to split that region off from the DRC. 4. (U) Mulumba exposited a neo-Marxist theory of history in which each successive phase of Western economic development depended upon the exploitation of African human and natural resources, particularly from the Congo - first agriculture with slaves, then industry with Congolese rubber, and now high technology with coltan and other minerals from the eastern DRC. Mulumba blamed the conflict that killed millions of Congolese between 1997 and 2003 on the Rwandans, with support from the USG, turning the DRC into a vassal state of Rwanda, which he claimed it remains today. He saw efforts to integrate former rebels into the FARDC as a plot for Rwandan take-over of the Congolese military. While supporting security sector reform in theory, and advocating a strong and professional national army, Mulumba criticized international efforts as disorganized and even divisive. 5. (U) Kabongo launched into a tirade against what he KINSHASA 00000260 002 OF 002 saw as U.S. interference in DRC sovereignty, from the Cold War (which he said was won in the DRC, due to minerals extracted here) up to the present day. With the election of Barack Obama, who championed the DRC in the U.S. Senate, Mulumba said he hoped that U.S. policy toward the DRC might change, and highlighted the generally positive coverage by his organization of Secretary Clintons visit last August as an indication of his optimism. Yet Mulumba was frustrated that he hadnt seen more concrete measures of USG support. While believing that Obama personally cares about the DRC, Mulumba blamed a lobby that has power over American foreign policy, and hinted that mining interests are behind it. He also expressed skepticism over assistance from U.S. and other donors. Mulumba, who recently visited China, said foreign direct investment, rather than development aid, would help bring the DRC out of poverty. 4. 6. 6. (U) Mulumba highlighted the success of a recent conference on Balkanization that was sponsored by Le Potential. Citing the high number of participants, Mulumba noted that Congolese audiences were eager to discuss this issue, particularly with the U.S. Embassy. APAO and PDO noted that the US Embassy was interested in having a civil and open discussion on countering assertions promoted by the balkanization theory. However, audience participation would have to remain cordial to allow for a productive conversation (rather than shouting matches to which many discussions seemed to degenerate), and would have to include other donors. (NOTE: PDO was invited to participate, but declined the invitation, after learning the U.S. was the only donor invited. END NOTE.) 5. 7. 7. (U) Mulumba and his colleagues are not isolated in their opinions. LAvenir, a pro-government newspaper with close ties to President Joseph Kabila, ran an article on February 3 expressing suspicion that demobilization programs run by the United Nations Mission in the DRC (MONUC) are a Trojan horse integrating Rwandans into the DRC military and other national institutions. When a UN-sponsored study questioned the estimate of 5.4 million Congolese dead from recent conflicts, an association of Congolese civil society groups accused unnamed Western nations of using the study to downplay their responsibility in the DRC massacres. In conversations with Congolese students, PDO often heard: Everybody knows that the U.S. was behind Rwandas invasion of the DRC. 6. 8. 8. (SBU) Comment: While the Balkanization theory has proponents across the DRC, we are unsure to what degree it resonates throughout Congolese society. While radical intellectuals like Mulumba express a hardline version, moderate variations of the theory are regularly articulated by the pro-government press, political figures, and private citizens. Some Congolese suspect, to one degree or another, that USG assistance (and all international aid, for that matter) is provided in order to weaken the country and advance private business interests. This view is particularly prevalent in the Kivus, as audiences continue to believe U.S. interests support Rwandas alleged efforts to annex the Kivus and monopolize the regions resources (reftel). Still, it is possible that the theory is embraced only by a vocal few, or that it is encouraged by a cynical leadership and is without widespread public support. Absent baseline data concerning public attitudes and opinions, Embassy Kinshasa is currently unable to accurately measure the degree to which this theory has traction among ordinary Congolese. We will explore ways to obtain resources for in-depth survey research on opinions and attitudes concerning USG policies, in order to develop a strategy for effective engagement on countering the Balkanization theory, as well as other issues critical to the implementation of mission strategic goals in the DRC. Subsequent reporting will explore other opinions and attitudes that impact Congolese public perception of U.S. policy toward the DRC. End comment. 7. GARVELINK
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 23:05:20 +0000
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