I'm sorry, but I disagree with you entirely, aponic.

I don't think that SoL and SoF working together is better for the server than them not working together. Going into full-on, all-out reset after reset war is not good either, but the two main fighting alliances being unwilling to fight eachother HAS to be a problem for this server. You're even unwilling to fight eachother in friendly wars, so the problem you claim (who will sol fight) exists regardless.

"who does SoL fight?" is a question that has to be asked every round now anyways. In a situation where SoF and SoL aren't buddy-buddy, that leaves more opportunity for politicking and such. what happens now? no one is willing to stand up and take on either SoF or SoL in a war, because there is no one to back them up for a potential round 2. wars need to be almost bargained for now, or stretch for a reason to fight someone. the two alliances that smaller alliances SHOULD be able to fall back on for help are SoL and SoF, but they are absolutely unwilling to take on this role.

You're also taking this though as if it was all or nothing thing, and that's not the intention. the intention is to shake up this unnatural state of politics. look where it's gotten us to now -- dwindling server population up to this set (and we'll see if the bounce continues now that the loughner crap has passed), alliances folding and many leaders being burnt out.

this post is meant to be in the same spirit as the posts you make re: arranged wars, aponic. It's meant to be the server coming together, lead by the most powerful alliances, to make this server into a fun environment again. You touched on this point, but you took it the wrong way. I'm not saying "let's all make sides and fight!" I'm saying let's discuss a new political reality for this server, as what we have now is detrimental to this server's growth.

although, as an aside, maybe we need to consider a member cap and re-work how killing works on this server to make it so that the smaller alliances can fight more effectively without going into full-on coalitions?
but the idea of a cap makes me a sad panda