Historically
exhaustive studies, both private and governmental, are conducted with respect
to individuals at the highest levels to determine their true intentions,
particularly when they’re about to occupy a position of power. One such
individual is Nigeria’s future president, Muhammadu Bhuari whose inauguration
on May 29th is significant because of Nigeria’s critical political
and economic role in sub-Sahara Africa.
Earlier
this month, the All Progressive Congress (APC) had an affair in which Buhari
met with 15 ambassadors each of whom had a photo-op. A single photo provides only a brief
glimpse of assessing body language. For this reason, a more comprehensive body
language analysis is required, particularly to establish a baseline that
includes more dynamic elements such as movement, speech, and language. Although
only a partial assessment can be made through these APC photos, a general
opinion can indeed be formed with respect to president-elect Buhari’s style.
By
necessity many politicians are quite skilled at cloaking their intentions
through words and body language, sometimes achieved through misdirection and
distraction by being overly flamboyant. President-elect Buhari is considerably
more adept at this skill due to his former military experience as Major General
through his lifelong training of discipline and patience. With respect to body
language he’s consistently poised in many of the photos and he demonstrates a
high comfort level with a naturally erect posture, open foot and body stance,
and gently clasped hands in the form of a cradle on his lap. His primary ‘tell’
is his eyes which range from joy to disinterest to contempt. His more relaxed
present-day body language is quite impressive because Buhari is now a democratically
elected leader in a free society vs. his tenure as an autocratic ruler in military
garb.
The
APC event worked in Buhari’s favor because this was a celebratory and joyous
occasion in which ambassadors from near & far came to congratulate him on
his election victory. A celebration
offers a significantly lower risk of confrontation and lower negative stress
thus the situation is less likely to provoke negative body language. And all
parties are on their best behavior during joyous occasions tend cognizant that
the media is usually recording their every move and gesture.
Rather
importantly to note, these encounters are between unequal official
relationships: ambassador to leader or leader-elect, not of equals with the
focus exclusively on Buhari in his home country where he is most comfortable. A
more comprehensive analysis can be achieved in the future with direct meetings
with foreign leaders and businesspeople, particularly outside Nigeria, when the
agenda focuses on serious topics.
Additionally,
ambassadors are usually non-verbally subservient to foreign leaders or
leader-elects yet they’re not answerable to him or her. On the other hand
ambassadors are representatives of their respective government and
subconsciously may provide the type and style of communications their countries
will have with Nigeria.
A
critical note to remember is that some ambassadors are professional, foreign
service officers, are highly trained and are carefully selected for important
posts. This means that their body language is more subtle and harder to read.
On the other hand, some countries’ ambassadorships are political favors to
businessmen who supported their leader’s efforts to get elected and may have
less international experience.
For
this reason my opinions of Buhari’s body language focus more on how he may deal
with various countries at this moment and the near future internationally
rather than his rule domestically. Based strictly on the limited APC photos of
his greetings of ambassadors, my opinions of Buhari’s comfort level with
foreign ambassadors are as follows:
His
toughest relationships may be with the following countries:
·
Syria: Buhari is obviously highly uncomfortable as indicated by
the tensions and stress in his face with the Syrian ambassador. The Syrian
ambassador’s smile is more of a smirk, as if he’s full of himself, holding his
arm tightly against his body seemingly trying to use his handshake to pull
Buhari towards him, a possible sign of an attempt at dominance.
·
Qatar: The handshake by both parties are normal yet there’s an
unusually far distance between the ambassador and Buhari between two people
from cultures favor physical closeness. It seems that Buhari’s arm, normally at
a 90 degree angle to greet people, is extended somewhat to maintain a distance.
·
Korea: The ambassador utilizes an exceptionally stiff-appearance
with a rigid 90 angle handshake with his arm tightly against his body appearing
to try to pull Buhari towards him in an attempt to dominate. Buhari’s facial
expression clearly shows discomfort with this greeting.
·
The
Iraqi ambassador gives the stark impression that he doesn’t want to be
there. He has a highly defensive posture by using the thin portfolio to cover
his lap and genital areas and squeezing his legs tightly as if he wants to
crawl into a shell. His tenseness is obvious and appears to reluctantly force
himself to angle his body towards Buhari. This is one of the few times Buhari’s
hands are not clasped as he drapes them over each armrest and seems to have an
expression of contempt and disgust.
His
easiest relationships may be with the following countries:
·
Algeria: The ambassador is sitting edge on the edge of his seat
enthusiastically, almost like a schoolboy, with a full frontal pose to
Buhari. His loosely clasped hands on his lap in the form of a cradle that
mimics Buhari’s who feels comfortable because Buhari leans slightly towards
him. The ambassador’s jacket is unbuttoned giving the impression that he’s
communicating openly with Buhari.
·
Kenya: Buhari is probably most relaxed with the Kenyan
ambassador, one of the few times his hands are not clasped and are resting
comfortably on the chair armrests. With respect to the ambassador, his entire
body leans sideways towards Buhari and has an honest, jovial laugh. Nonetheless
despite the relaxed situation and large body, his jacket remains buttoned which
may indicate that he’s holding something back.
With
respect to the European country ambassadors, Denmark, Serbia Sweden, Finland
and the Netherlands, Buhari maintains his standard pose. The
encounters with the ambassadors from Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands are
nothing out of the ordinary. As the only female, the Finnish ambassador
strangely she sits at the far end of the chair with legs protectively tightly together.
Her outfit is shockingly simple and casual for such a high-level encounter and
could be deemed disrespectful. The Serbian ambassador is
enthusiastically making a point yet there’s a disconnect in his message. His
upper torso leans slightly towards Buhari with gesturing hands but his lower
body and waist point straight ahead which may indicate a mixed message.
The
Japanese ambassador shows a typical Nippon respective deference to
Buhari by leaning slightly forward and offering a mini-bow.
To
reiterate, because the APC event represents a tight scope to perform a
comprehensive evaluation, my analytical opinion provides only a peek, a hint,
of the relationships that must be investigated and observed more closely under
varying circumstances.
Copyright Indo-Brazilian Associates LLC 2015. All rights reserved.
Indo-Brazilian Associates LLC is a NYC-based global advisory service and think tank with connections at the highest levels specializing in international investment, political and security risk assessments. International business is increasingly complex featuring a highly mobile professional class in all corners of the globe. We provide you the tools to successfully negotiate cross-culturally in your global business endeavors. Tell us about your challenges. We'll get you on the "Short List".
Available for speaking engagements and workshops. Contact us at:
http://www.indobrazilian.com
Indo-Brazilian Associates LLC is a NYC-based global advisory service and think tank with connections at the highest levels specializing in international investment, political and security risk assessments. International business is increasingly complex featuring a highly mobile professional class in all corners of the globe. We provide you the tools to successfully negotiate cross-culturally in your global business endeavors. Tell us about your challenges. We'll get you on the "Short List".
Available for speaking engagements and workshops. Contact us at:
http://www.indobrazilian.com