I wouldn't say saidar and saidin are COMPLETELY different; they are, after all, still two halves of the same One Power. There are inherent differences in those halves, but it's still ONE Power; they have more in common than either does with the "True" Power. Integral collaboration is perfectly natural, as evidenced by the greatest works of the AoL that all agree were impossible without BOTH Powers in concert, and by the very mechanism that made such things possible: The Link that men can't even form without the participation of women. Personally, I think involving women with the Strike would simply have tainted the saidar along with saidin, but it's clear LTT deeply resents their non-involvement, blames a their united fronts opposition for arguably the greatest disaster to have ever struck Randland.

I'm certainly not arguing that now that the Taint is gone the Fourth Age will simply be a reprise of the First; I'm still not convinced Tarmon Gaidon isn't going to end with channeling burned out of humanity for thousands of years, but to whatever extent humans remain able to channel it seems a given they will increasingly do so on an egalitarian and cooperative basis. If nothing else, Jordan has established the pre-Bore AoL as a Golden Age only possible because "Aes Sedai" was a gender neutral term, so it's entirely natural, both within the storys framework and the authors tendencies, to restore a single Tower rather than maintaining two distinct ones. Neither Tower wants rogue channelers responsible to no one, and each represents exactly that to the other. The only real reason for separation to begin was the Taint and the prejudices it's built up over the centuries, and while those will take time to completely eliminate, doing so is really the ONLY natural course.

Yeah, my bad here, and I'll edit accordingly. I read KoD twice not long after its release, but time hasn't allowed me to do re-read much more than a third of TEotW since. It was inconceivable to me that such a controversial plan could be enacted without Elaidas consent; frankly, I see no way to conceal from her something so large within her own Ajah (and whatever the ideal it's clear Elaida still thinks of herself as Red as much if not far more than previous Amyrlins retained their Ajah loyalties) and expect all hell to break loose when she learns of it. Not that I think it will matter much in the end; you may not care for his form, but I suspect Logain will be the first Amyrlin of a reunified Tower.

Nicolas Foretelling told secondhand would be dubious in a vacuum, yes, but that's not how we have them. For one thing, the Aes Sedai speaking of them expresses those doubts, raising the very real possibility disbelief is ironic. That's further supported by our knowledge that everything specifically mentioned in her Foretellings either has happened or soon will ( "battles with the Seanchan or the Ashaman [both have happened, and the Seanchan will attack the White Tower directly soon] an Amyrlin imprisoned [current event] the Dragon Reborn doing nine impossible things [e.g. the Cleansing] visions that might be Tarmon Gai'don [yeah, we know TG is coming] or a bilious stomach. "

Elaidas ignorance doesn't really change my theory much practically though. Pevara's still a Sitter, accompanied by another and acting at the behest of "the Highest" if not the Amyrlin, and in the Usurper Tower the leader of the Red Ajah is probably analogous in power to the Speaker of the House: While the position is nominally inferior to the Keeper of the Chronicles, that positions inherent authority is largely ceremonial, while the leader of the most influential Ajah enough clout to make her effectively second in power only to the Amyrlin herself. The company Pevara keeps makes her (as well as Javindhra) an irresistible target should Taim attempt turning Aes Sedai with Myrddraal links; gaining converts among Red Sitters whose loyalties aren't suspect would be a critical first step in turning Elaida herself, which could be a game changer. And whatever the truth of the matter, Taim's no more likely than I to think this plan was implemented without Elaidas blessing; he hasn't read the KoD Prologue.

They weren't united in a single gender in the AoL either, but they were united in a single group enhanced rather than inhibited by differences in genders and the True Source. The only reason that ceased was the Taint, which has itself ceased now, so there's no reason to preserve their division and every reason to remove it.

Under the status quo, however, I see the quote you provide as additional support rather than a rebuttal; women are now the only ones continuing to use the ancient title of "Servants" while the term "Guardians" is distinct to men, yet the quote argues they must be balanced with each other. Expecting a perfect balance to come solely from individual channelers pairing off (or perhaps being polyamorous in the case of Greens) is expecting too much, but a single authority composed of and over both Asha'man and Aes Sedai makes a LOT more sense. It's the kind of supporting quote I've not had time to find for two years, keeping me from posting this theory since before KoD, so, thanks. They'll remain distinct individuals AND be part of a larger social body, in a reduced form of the way marriage is supposed to be on an individual level, and in nearly the same way they were during the AoL.

Or such is my expectation; you may well be right and the proof is in the pudding, but I do think my case somewhat stronger at present.