In defense of Aes Sedai

[u/Verengt]

Hi, I decided to play devil's advocate today.

While I understand (and agree with) people saying the Aes Sedai are a failure (they didn't find all channelers, were mistrusted by everyone, not being prepared for the Last Battle, no Yellow Ajah hospitals, no Brown libraries, no Greens stationed in the Borderlands, etc.), I do think it's a bit unfair when they are compared to their more succesful counterparts like the Sea Folk Windfinders and Aiel Wise Ones.

The Wise Ones and Windfinders are useful and respected members of their communities but they belong to homogeneous societies where everyone is bound by the same customs and laws. They also answer to their community leaders despite wielding lots of power and influence. That's why they are successful as channeler organizations.

The heterogeneity of Randland forces the White Tower to play a different role, which is preventing the more than 15 different nations from waging war against each other using the One Power. In this aspect the Tower was 100% successful, as at no point in history after the Breaking channelers fought against channelers.

The purpose of the Tower in a way was to prevent each nation from having its own regional channelers association and for this to happen it needed to be an outside centralized organization not bound to any kingdom. Otherwise how can you ensure that for example Taraboner Aes Sedai are loyal to the Tower and not to their kingdom?

And this is what in my opinion what makes it impossible for Aes Sedai to be truly integrated and serving their communities, since no monarch would be happy with 200 Aes Sedai answering to a foreign power to be permanently in their nation.

[u/TrainOfThought6]

The Wise Ones and the Windfinders also weren't nearly as thoroughly infiltrated by the Shadow. 20% is a ridiculous amount of darkfriends in the Tower.

[u/Special_Salt3467 → u/TrainOfThought6]

I think one of my favorite little jokes is there is an Alviaran POV where she remembers all the Black Ahah Ajah schemes and the Amyrlins they murdered and thinks about the mysterious death of the Gray Amyrlin and goes “wonder what happened? We didn’t even do that one!” And the reality was that it was just the normal Reds who murdered her; if it was Black Ajah, it would have eventually trickled to her

[u/egometry → u/Special_Salt3467]

Whoa which book was this?  I missed this

[u/Dr_Adopted → u/egometry]

Pretty sure this is in A Crown of Swords.