By which I mean, the White Tower. They seem largely either immature, self-absorbed, arrogant, or some mixture of the three. And yet... they don't really DO anything in the series.

Note that I'm not talking about the world in general- I'm talking about the space of time that takes place during the series. For the most part, any help that's come from Aes Sedai has almost been incidental, or from independently working sisters.

There's been a HUGE subplot, involving the split of the Tower, and for the most part it hasn't affected the world. No one really cares. Yes, the rival Aes Sedai factions care, and the areas where they gather gigantic armies care, but largely, the world remains unaffected.

Aes Sedai keep popping up, but the ones under the direction of the White Tower don't DO anything. It takes a Wondergirl, or a ta'veren, to get them to act.

Really, the only useful contribution the non-protagonist Aes Sedai have made is mediation, or being part of a link. They might know a lot of special weaves other channelers don't know, but they mostly can't hold a candle to the Forsaken (or even the Black Ajah, who know all of the special "Ajah Weaves". Some of them may be more powerful than many Wise Ones or Windfinders, but they still can't hold a candle to the protagonists, or many of the "wilders" they so disdain.

They mostly just get in everyone's way, unless a protagonist manages to tell them what to do (see: Moiraine after she swore her oath to Rand, Verin and Allana with Perrin, any of the AS who trail along after Elayne or Rand)