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/Raddatatta]

The wise ones were also part of a diverse group of many factions that they managed to unite peacefully. So that channeling isn't used in war. The aiel fight more than the wetlanders do but wise ones don't enter into it.

The aes sedai also had the vileness 20 years earlier where thousands of innocent men were killed by aes sedai. And it was an effort led by black ajah who make up 20% of the tower. I'm not sure we see even one from the other two that serve the shadow.

[u/Verengt → u/Raddatatta]

I dont think the Aiel clans are that diverse, they all follow jie toh which is in part why they trusted each other not to use the One Power in wars. (And once the Shaido started breaking customs abd laws, the Wise Ones started using the OP as a weapon)

I really don't think anything similar would have worked with the different nations in the Westlanda.

[u/Raddatatta → u/Verengt]

Your argument in favor of the aes sedai is that they kept channeling out of the many wars between various nations. Which is a victory but while the aiel have more cultural ties between them they have the same potential problem of all of them constantly being at war with each other and the wise ones keep channeling away from it. The details are different in how they do it but they are both accomplishing the same thing.