Beyond Articulating the Disastrous Reality of the “Leaderlessness Crisis”

I have been asked by several friends to explain two expressions which I frequently use as references in my writings. The first of these expressions is ‘the long game,’ which I recently described as ‘dead’ in a piece originally written in English though it was later translated to Farsi and French. The second expression is ‘the leaderlessness crisis,’ which unlike the first is not restricted to political thought but can also be referenced in religious discourse. In this article, I attempt to clarify what is meant by these two expressions, leaving my purpose for coining them to the percipience of the dear conscious reader.

What is ‘the Long Game’?

The expression ‘the long game’ is aims to describe what is essentially the more popular antithesis to Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei’s ‘Resistance Theory.’ His theory is rooted in a religiously and revolutionarily conscious comprehension of history and politics. He discusses it in his 2020 book of the same title, explaining that it rests on five premises:

(1) Resistance is a natural reaction to transgression and oppression

(2) The enemy does not back down when people surrender, but rather when they resist

(3) The costs of resistance are less than the costs of surrendering to the enemy

(4) The divine promise is that those who choose the path of resistance will be made victorious

(5) Resistance is possible from a calculative perspective

On the other hand, ‘the long game’ refers to the assessment which condemns resistance and calls for various forms of what are then branded as alternative revolutionary actions. What ‘the long game’ posits is that oppressors may respect those who submit and that they welcome dialogue as a primary ‘solution,’ when in reality, the opposite is true. Oppressors view the surrender of others as an opportunity, and only seek dialogue when forced to do so by those who refuse to submit.

‘The long game’ posits that the choice of integration and assimilation is less costly than struggle and resistance, and is therefore the more rational path to peace, freedom, justice, and the likes. Meanwhile, ‘Resistance Theory’ argues that transgressive forces do not accept limits to their agenda, and the costs of surrender are greater than those of struggle.

One way this can be explained is that by abandoning resistance, the conventional political leverage of transgressive forces is acknowledged as the determining factor; and therefore, the cause of the virtuous society and seekers of freedom in general is set back even further than it would be had they declared through ‘unconventional’ means their right to self-determination.

This, of course, is the case and the sound reckoning when resistance as a method is crystallized, organized, and calculated in light of proper standards. Victory is in such a case not only materially possible, but a divine promise. As for victory via ‘the long game’: neither is it possible, nor is it promised. Rather, the promise is further suffering, humiliation, and godlessness.

What is ‘the Leaderlessness Crisis’?

This crisis is not limited to Muslims, but its solution is limited to Islam. For this reason, it is most suitable to explain it as it relates to Muslims.

The Islam that is void of Ahlul Bayt (as) is an Islam that lacks direction. Its most essential function – i.e., leadership – is left to be assumed by the tyrant rather than the rightful carrier of the message. And in our time, this chaos continues: the jurist is neutralized, the ruler embraced, and the children of what otherwise would have been an Ummah dissolve into the uselessness of individualism. ‘The leaderlessness crisis’ is the disorder that arises from the replacement of legitimate Islamic authority with baseless alternates (such as kings and rulers), those which are external as well as those within.

It is the reason behind the inability, and in fact betrayal, of the vast majority as it observes a genocide. It is the reason behind the entitlement of that majority in substituting the central cause of the Muslim world with one that satisfies not only their sectarian darkness but, in the most immediate and abhorrent sense, the strategic interests of Islam’s enemies. It is the reason behind the tragic reversal of Islamic concepts, such as emigration, which then entail the transfer of Islamic capacity from divine design to human design. It is the reason behind the emergence of terrorism in the name of God, exercised by deviant groups ironically under the command of godless secular authorities.

‘The leaderlessness crisis’ is the reason behind the bulk of the suffering of Muslims around the world, behind the transformation of Muslims into rogue actors, behind their lack of insight in critical moments, and behind the martyrdom of sacred figures who give their lives – eventually in the manifest literal sense – to stun the worshippers of the state and its idols into action and responsibility.

‘The leaderlessness crisis’ is evidence that the minority is upon truth and guidance from God because, since the very beginning, it adheres to divine authority and has not sought human design. In the words of Ameer al-Mu’mineen (a) as narrated in Nahj al-Balaghah: “Verily, the people are with the kings and the worldly life, except those whom God absolves in preservation.”

Beyond the Words

The death of ‘the long game’ and the tragedy of ‘the leaderlessness crisis’ both urge the revival of the basic inquiries. The world has now witnessed the collapse of chaotic liberal constructions as well as their shallow conservative rebound. It is only natural that questions about their purpose – [beyond mere words] – reclaim their integrity as human design continues to fail and global tensions continue to escalate.

People are right to wonder. Could the fate of this world be left in the hands of the morally bankrupt? Could this life’s ultimate meaning be at the simple disposal of tyrannical powers’ advanced weapons of mass destruction or the disarray of the masses? Is a ‘vote’ in hardly credible elections here and there the subliminal act of revolution or mechanism of change human beings are entitled to? Is the conclusion of despair which seems ‘pragmatic’ compatible with the ascertained depth of human potential?

Or are there competent designs which humankind was historically misled to ignore? Are there other questions – more basic and primitive inquiries – which provide ‘actual’ context? Is there a future for a world with such a dark past? This – i.e., the latter – without a single doubt, is the necessary prospection for all societies and especially Muslims. ‘The long game’ is dead and ‘the leaderlessness crisis’ killed it. So, beyond the words and in hopes of doing more than just articulating the disastrous reality, let us discuss the lurking comprehensive alternative.