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.
Okay, but that's basically too much 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?
If they were more divided, a single meeting such as we see Rand's kids attending could not have attacked the Seanchan. If they were all roving bands they could not do nearly as much damage when they attacked. Let us stipulate that Egwene and Elayne will both be succeeded by power hungry tyrants.
So Egwene would be succeeded by her clone? Interesting theory. 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?
Yes. Tyrants are not the sort you want cooperating with each other. Ask Poland. 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.
That's what we have now, and they are not checking each other at all, because the wise and sensible one is too nice for her own good and goes along with the tyrant on everything. 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.
What else WOULD I mean by diluting power? In the American government, power is diluted by being spread to a national goverment, state government, county governments, town city or municipal governments and the people themselves. The power in many of these parts is then distributed among a legislature and an executive and a judiciary. Many of the more powerful legislatures' powers are then diluted among two different legislative houses. Each function of government is split and distributed between as many of these different bodies as possible.
Cannoli
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Inde muagdhe Aes Sedai misain ye!
Deus Vult!
*MySmiley*
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Inde muagdhe Aes Sedai misain ye!
Deus Vult!
*MySmiley*
This message last edited by Cannoli on 09/11/2010 at 02:18:18 AM
"She knew Egwene wanted Cairhien..."
- 05/11/2010 03:22:29 AM
2387 Views
Do you have a reference that we can look at?
- 05/11/2010 03:24:39 AM
905 Views
Re: "She knew Egwene wanted Cairhien..."
- 05/11/2010 03:49:16 AM
1105 Views
Re: "She knew Egwene wanted Cairhien..."
- 05/11/2010 01:42:54 PM
881 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
930 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
1040 Views
Egwene also needs to talk to her mother and father
- 05/11/2010 04:25:43 AM
856 Views
Re: Egwene also needs to talk to her mother and father
- 05/11/2010 01:53:17 PM
871 Views
Re: Egwene also needs to talk to her mother and father
- 05/11/2010 02:00:37 PM
942 Views
why?
- 05/11/2010 03:10:39 PM
967 Views
Re: why?
- 05/11/2010 04:23:16 PM
931 Views
They're the ones who raised her this way! That's the last thing she needs.
- 06/11/2010 03:38:17 PM
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Um, can we assume her parents raised her that way?
- 08/11/2010 04:57:05 AM
793 Views
She's a short, female, youngest child of influential parents. Arrogance would come naturally to her.
- 09/11/2010 02:08:29 AM
883 Views
Huh
- 09/11/2010 07:56:15 AM
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Wow. What the fuck did your parents do to you? *NM*
- 09/11/2010 03:35:07 PM
445 Views
- 09/11/2010 06:14:30 PM
648 Views
- 09/11/2010 06:14:30 PM
648 Views
I try to avoid projecting myself onto fictional characters. Or real people.
- 09/11/2010 06:45:14 PM
797 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
380 Views
*NM*
- 09/11/2010 07:45:20 PM
380 Views
well...
- 09/11/2010 08:18:08 PM
714 Views
I'm teasing you because you lay it on a little thick sometimes *NM*
- 10/11/2010 01:10:39 AM
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*NM*
- 10/11/2010 01:10:39 AM
506 Views
So?
- 05/11/2010 09:53:22 AM
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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
900 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
873 Views
She didn't say that. You changed the wording and read it without context.
- 05/11/2010 03:29:27 PM
979 Views
So?
- 05/11/2010 04:04:54 PM
813 Views
The engima that is Egwene
- 06/11/2010 01:41:43 AM
835 Views
I wonder if...
- 06/11/2010 05:17:45 AM
817 Views
You might have paid more attention than me when reading
- 06/11/2010 06:50:46 AM
814 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
867 Views
That's the problem with Elayne that has emerged.
- 06/11/2010 03:31:41 PM
1002 Views
Or, you know, she's being cleverer than you give her credit for...
- 06/11/2010 04:45:10 PM
867 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
819 Views
So fragmentation is the reply?
- 06/11/2010 09:59:47 PM
809 Views
Checks and balances IS diluting power.
- 09/11/2010 02:16:18 AM
830 Views
The Andoran houses should ask one question of Elayne - and remove her if she answers wrongly
- 08/11/2010 02:03:08 AM
884 Views
Maybe it's typo
- 08/11/2010 06:38:26 PM
1023 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
768 Views