The problem with the Aiel wasn't too much power. It was absence of a structure to that power. They got united for the first time under Rand, and found that they were this incredibly powerful nation, militarily, and ended up misusing that power.
If, instead, they had fragmented into two, or even more factions after Rand was gone, do you really think the situation would have gotten better? %0 roving bands of Aiel, many of which decide to attack the Seanchan and other nations for want of anything else to do... would that really have been better?
Let us stipulate that Egwene and Elayne will both be succeeded by power hungry tyrants. If these two start fighting each other for influence, would the situation be any better than if they were tied together by the actions of their predecessors?
What if one is a tyrant and the other is a sensible and wise leader? They may check each other before too much damage is done as allies.
In the end, none of these scenarios matter since no one has any way of knowing. And since no one can know, asking people to wilfully dilute power to prevent the possibility that they may be succeeded by tyrants is ridiculous. Far better to introduce checks and balances in the system to make the tyrant's job harder.
If, instead, they had fragmented into two, or even more factions after Rand was gone, do you really think the situation would have gotten better? %0 roving bands of Aiel, many of which decide to attack the Seanchan and other nations for want of anything else to do... would that really have been better?
Let us stipulate that Egwene and Elayne will both be succeeded by power hungry tyrants. If these two start fighting each other for influence, would the situation be any better than if they were tied together by the actions of their predecessors?
What if one is a tyrant and the other is a sensible and wise leader? They may check each other before too much damage is done as allies.
In the end, none of these scenarios matter since no one has any way of knowing. And since no one can know, asking people to wilfully dilute power to prevent the possibility that they may be succeeded by tyrants is ridiculous. Far better to introduce checks and balances in the system to make the tyrant's job harder.
"She knew Egwene wanted Cairhien..."
- 05/11/2010 03:22:29 AM
2606 Views
Do you have a reference that we can look at?
- 05/11/2010 03:24:39 AM
1089 Views
Re: "She knew Egwene wanted Cairhien..."
- 05/11/2010 03:49:16 AM
1347 Views
Re: "She knew Egwene wanted Cairhien..."
- 05/11/2010 01:42:54 PM
1070 Views
Not if it allows the Seanchan freedom to conquer Randland. I'd rather have Egwene over the slavers.
- 07/11/2010 07:32:20 PM
1133 Views
We all know Egwene is going to save the day while getting everything she wants and more
- 05/11/2010 04:14:55 AM
1251 Views
Egwene also needs to talk to her mother and father
- 05/11/2010 04:25:43 AM
1058 Views
Re: Egwene also needs to talk to her mother and father
- 05/11/2010 01:53:17 PM
1095 Views
Re: Egwene also needs to talk to her mother and father
- 05/11/2010 02:00:37 PM
1170 Views
why?
- 05/11/2010 03:10:39 PM
1164 Views
Re: why?
- 05/11/2010 04:23:16 PM
1134 Views
They're the ones who raised her this way! That's the last thing she needs.
- 06/11/2010 03:38:17 PM
1166 Views
Um, can we assume her parents raised her that way?
- 08/11/2010 04:57:05 AM
990 Views
She's a short, female, youngest child of influential parents. Arrogance would come naturally to her.
- 09/11/2010 02:08:29 AM
1095 Views
Huh
- 09/11/2010 07:56:15 AM
1120 Views
Wow. What the fuck did your parents do to you? *NM*
- 09/11/2010 03:35:07 PM
540 Views
- 09/11/2010 06:14:30 PM
840 Views
- 09/11/2010 06:14:30 PM
840 Views
I try to avoid projecting myself onto fictional characters. Or real people.
- 09/11/2010 06:45:14 PM
997 Views
Why don't you compare her to a summer's day while you're at it?
*NM*
- 09/11/2010 07:45:20 PM
466 Views
*NM*
- 09/11/2010 07:45:20 PM
466 Views
well...
- 09/11/2010 08:18:08 PM
901 Views
I'm teasing you because you lay it on a little thick sometimes
*NM*
- 10/11/2010 01:10:39 AM
596 Views
*NM*
- 10/11/2010 01:10:39 AM
596 Views
So?
- 05/11/2010 09:53:22 AM
1027 Views
i agree. and this is part of the reason why i don't understand why people have a hard time w/ egwene
- 05/11/2010 03:56:48 PM
1074 Views
Because many of us don't see trying to achieve power for its own sake to be a good thing
- 05/11/2010 06:53:27 PM
1054 Views
She didn't say that. You changed the wording and read it without context.
- 05/11/2010 03:29:27 PM
1181 Views
So?
- 05/11/2010 04:04:54 PM
1013 Views
The engima that is Egwene
- 06/11/2010 01:41:43 AM
1162 Views
I wonder if...
- 06/11/2010 05:17:45 AM
1016 Views
You might have paid more attention than me when reading
- 06/11/2010 06:50:46 AM
1005 Views
The reason rand didn't tell Egwene about why he needs to break the seals is simple
- 22/06/2011 10:49:25 PM
1083 Views
That's the problem with Elayne that has emerged.
- 06/11/2010 03:31:41 PM
1211 Views
Or, you know, she's being cleverer than you give her credit for...
- 06/11/2010 04:45:10 PM
1074 Views
This is the problem with rulers - what is smart for them equals increasing their power. Which is bad
- 06/11/2010 08:40:19 PM
1014 Views
So fragmentation is the reply?
- 06/11/2010 09:59:47 PM
1005 Views
The Andoran houses should ask one question of Elayne - and remove her if she answers wrongly
- 08/11/2010 02:03:08 AM
1087 Views
Maybe it's typo
- 08/11/2010 06:38:26 PM
1255 Views
I was proven to be right - it's typo since it was corrected in the Ebook version
- 02/06/2011 11:59:02 PM
968 Views


