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Prepared under the auspices of the Center for international studies, Princeton university.

Theshrinking political arena in Africa,1caused by the authoritarian practices of presidential monarchs, has more often than not undermined the process of legitimation, as those who have not 'fallen into things' resort to unconstitutional means to gain access to political and economic kingdoms. Hitherto, political competition has become a raw power struggle, partly as a result of the absence of stable institutions for channelling and ordering politics,2and partly because political leadership is so divided that it has failed to give form to statecraft. The failure of the first generation of African politicians has consequently encouraged the military to intervene and to sack them. But the African army has also experienced divisions and factions. Its record has not been impressive. Thus, in most African countries, the political situation has deteriorated progressively to praetorianism.3

A WIDELY KNOWN APPROACH TO THE ANALYSIS OF THE ARMED FORCES ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT IS TO BEGIN WITH AN APPRAISAL OF THE CP LEGACY OF THE AFRICAN DEFENSE FORCE. THIS PARTICULAR APPROCH IS CERTAINLY CONGRUENT WITH THE NOTION OF INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFER USED BY STUDENTS OF COMPARATIVE POLITICS.1 ONE CAN EMPLOY SUCH AN APPROACH TO INVESTIGATE THE ARMED FORCES OF THE BECHUANALAND PROTECTORATE, WHICH BECAME THE REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA ON 30 SEPTEMBER 1966 FOLLOWING EIGHT DECADES OF BRITISH COLONIAL RULE. HOWEVER, THE PRESENT BOTSWANA DEFENSE FORCE (BDF) HAD NO DIRECT, LONG-STANDING COLONIAL ANTECEDENT. ITS LEGACY CAN BE FOUND PRIMARILY IN THE BECHUANALAND PROTECTORATE (BP) POLICE FORCE AND SECONDARILY IN THE MILITARY UNITS THAT THE PROTECTORATE CONTRIBUTED TO THE BRITISH IMPERIAL WAR EFFORT IN WORLD WARS 1 AND II. THE INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFER APPROACH TO ANALYSING THE BDF IN THE CONTEXT OF CONTEMPORARY SOUTHERN AFRICA NEEDS TO BE SUPPLEMENTED BY INQUIRIES WHICH ARE MORE SPECIFIC TO THE MILITARY ORGANIZATION ITSELF. THE STRATEGY OF INQUIRY NEEDS TO INCLUDE THE ANCILLARY TOPICS OF FORCE STRUCTURE AND MISSION, RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING, THE ECONOMIC RESOURCES CONSUMED BY THE BDF, AND THE TRANSFER OF OVERSEAS MILITARY HARDWARE AND EXPERTISE TO THE FLEDGLING ARMY. ADDITIONALLY, ONE NEEDS TO ASSESS THE PROSPECTS FOR PRAETORIANISM IN BOTSWANA. FINALLY, THE INVESTIGATION SHOULD CONSIDER THE PLACE OF THE BDF WITHIN THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN REGIONAL SETTING, WHERE THE MANAGEMENT AND APPLICATION OFPY: 1984