i have been trying to join GDI and it will not let me. I also have been attacked by a GDI member who is not half my size <>. Was wanting to retal the attack but GDI will not let me. Advice besides just bending over.

I cannot even Declare war on him go figure

no dec war on primary.

are you sure that you aren't out of gdi ranges?

Read the ingame description of GDI, it is different in Primary.
You can only join GDI if you haven't attacked or done a harmful spy op.

There is no 'GDI range', instead a country in GDI is protected from special attacks and harmful spy ops.

There is a humanitarian range of four times bigger/smaller.
see Details for Primary here: http://www.earthempires.com/primary/serverdetails

I suspect you are prevented from retaliating because you are trying to lob a missile or AB your attacker, or he is outside the humanitarian range. Only if that country in GDI attacks you more than once will you be able to retal with GS, BR AB, missiles or harmful ops.

i can spy on him anytime i wish. i have not done any harm and he has attacked me just once. just found that strange

you cant AB, missile or send harmful spy ops on him if he hit you only once. thats what GDI is about, so you can single-tap people before you get a million tanks and 70% SDI.

I call that the Nixon doctrine.