International Community Beware: Don’t Pick the Wrong Senussi

The future of Libya is once again in the news. In disarray since the overthrowing of the Qhaddafi government approximately 10 years ago, there are those calling for solutions which harbour the potential to destabilise this already unstable nation even further. The Arab Spring saw the disappearance of a multitude of autocratic regimes from the region, although monarchies themselves remained relatively untouched and stable. Now there are those who think that by bringing back the 1951 monarchy in Libya they can quickly resolve the issues that have been plaguing this once prosperous nation.

The calls have been for the restoration of the alleged “Crown Prince” of Libya, Mohammed Senussi. A descendant of the king who sat on the throne before he was deposed by Qhaddafi, King Idris, the current Senussi resides in London and has not been active in politics at any point over the course of his entire life. While Libya was burning, many Libyans asked themselves where their Crown Prince was. The answer was that he was nowhere to be found.

Now that the country is at its worst state that it has seen in a decade, it would seem that Senussi is coming out of the woodwork to try to make a difference. Publishing a very surprising opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal not too long ago, Senussi laid out what some have called his vision for Libya. The issue was, to the adept reader, the opinion piece actually contained no information at all as to what the Crown Prince has in mind in terms of vision for his war-torn nation.

Even if we were to put aside the fact that Senussi has absolutely no leadership experience whatsoever, the other question that begs being asked is who his allies on the ground might be. With almost every power broker in the region active on the Libyan front, none (save the Qataris who it would appear held a meeting with Senussi in Turkey) have expressed any form of support for him or the return of a monarch to Libya. How could they support him even if they wanted to when they have positively no idea what he stands for.

Internally, the House of Senussi is also torn with Mohammed’s competitor to the throne being the significantly more politically inclined Crown Prince Idris, who on more than one occasion secured the support of global decision makers and political leaders. What the relationship is between the two is unclear however while Mohammed has been hardly heard from for the better part of a decade, Idris has been representing his people with great vigour and excellence.

Regardless of Mohammed’s lack of political aptitude, not to mention rumours about his proclivities, Libyans on the ground simply are not interested in bringing back the descendant of one of the most corrupt monarchies North Africa has ever known. Any historian will tell you that the house of King Idris was swimming in corruption, nepotism and collaboration with Western colonial powers, who actually set him on the throne. No Libyan in their right mind, except for a small contingent of elderly nostalgic royalists, see the potential for the monarchy to put Libya back on the right track. And those that do, certainly have no faith in Mohammed.

Libya requires comprehensive solutions from competent leaders, there is no doubt. Different actors have different visions and the country will certainly find its way. What we can all agree about is that Mohammed Senussi has absolutely no role to play in creating that future. A man without a vision who has made a comfortable life for himself while Libya burns has no place leading Libya.