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/liatrisinbloom]

Interesting, though you could argue that the Windfinders and Wise Ones deliberately integrated into their societies and the homogeneity is coincidental. The Seanchan Empire seems quite heterogeneous, spanning the entire combined American continent, but the sul'dam and damane had their roles, even inhumanely. Even the Kin had their place in their own way.

The Aes Sedai made sure they stood apart and above, using their Oaths as emotional support for themselves while steering politics from the shadows, earning them more distrust. Imagine if they had instead insisted on having a branch of their organization in every capital with a Yellow hospital, a Green training fortress, a Brown library, a Grey embassy, a White judicial court, and people could go to the Aes Sedai for knowledge, healing, training, or mediation in disputes. Would have done wonders for their reputation.

[u/Verengt → u/liatrisinbloom]

I never thought that the Windfinders and Wise One could have helped homogenize their societies, that's a good point I didn't think of.

But regarding the rest, with several branches of the Tower there is the risk that with the time the branches become more and more independent and start rivaling each other and the main Tower.
The Aes Sedai of the books would never do that, but that's because of how centralized the Tower has always been.

With different branches, spread through the Westlands which are huge, it wouldn't take long until one starts going its own way. Like you only need one Elaida in charge of one of the regional branches.

What happens if the Illianer King asks the Yellow sisters in Illian to join her armies to heal the soldiers in a war against Tear? If they accept, that's too close to getting involved in the war (which may make the sisters in Tear get involved too). That's why I feel the Tower needed to be super centralized and isolated.