Ghealdan is surrounded by Seanchan imperial kingdoms/provinces and has thick, uninhabitable woods to the North, and Garen's Wall stops them from going through the north-east to the part of Northern Altara that for the moment isn't fully under control of the Seanchan (the part through which Mat headed for Andor), leaving them only the main road that passes through Seanchan territories to reach Murandy and the north, or Illian and the south-east. Even if they cut their way for a road through the woods, and as Tam pointed out to the boys in EOTW, the Manetherendrelle can't be naviguated between the mountains and Remen, it's too fast and too wide.


If the situation doesn't evolve with the Seanchan (that's doubtful it won't change massively before the series is over, and if it doesn't the world will face the war between one Empire that enslaves channelers and one Empire lead at first by Elayne and allied with female and male channelers that Aviendha saw in Rhuidean, and Ghealdan is doomed to fall early), Ghealdan will have to live with heavy Seanchan influence (that's likely, the Seanchan leaders believe in leaving all trade unhindered, even with territories opposing them), or will have to rely mostly on channellers and Gateways for trade and contacts with the other allied nations behind Elayne.

The biggest threat Ghealdan faces wouldn't be removed by a tradeway with the north: living conditions are now much better in Tarabon and Altara than in Ghealdan (at their core for now, but it's spreading more slowly to outer regions now), the safety of the citizens much greater, the Imperial rule of law protecting them from abuses by the nobles (which is also true in Andor and TV, but not in most other nations), the conditions favoring prosperity... It's more than enough to threaten the monarchy of Ghealdan if it cannot rebuild and modernize its administration to offer the same standards of living to its population. If Ghealdan isn't conquered, it's threatened by a pro-Seanchan revolution. That's exactly what happened with Hawkwing. Once the momentum of his conquests was reached, most of the remaining unconquered populations offered him their nations willingly - not or just in fear of his armies, but because they wanted the living conditions in his Empire.

Elayne and Egwene are facing a huge common challenge if things don't change fast enough post-TG, and if the Seanchan are not brought to change their views on channelling until then, or brought to reach a settlement. Egwene will have to make the Aes Sedai work for the people again, or why would the people reject all the Seanchan could bring them to make theoir lives better for the Aes Sedai's sake, Aes Sedai who only rarely ever lower themselves to share their gifts with the little folk? The rethoric (held by characters who are rulers, nobles or pro-AS) that the Seanchan are tyranical and oppressive rulers, threatening the ways of the people and their independence won't work for much longer once the dust fall and the facts are there to see more clearly. They're not, if you're not a criminal (you end up enslaved), not a channeller (the same) or an abusive noble who enjoys the prerogatives of the blood status but does not perform in return the duties to the people this entails. It's almost exclusively the ruling classes (incl. AS) in the nations that are threatened by the Seanchan.

Only in Andor, and some of the Borderlands, the nationalist fiber is strong enough, and the nobles are still seen positively enough for the population may keep supporting rulers who fight the Seanchan.