Philosophy
The basic concept behind the Terran Alliance is one of slowly established cooperation without needing to forcefully subjugate others. But this is in itself based on a deeper and broader understanding of the world we live in.
The Stagnant Institutions
Power corrupts, it is said. This is often taken to be of such basic nature, that the reason is rarely explained or explored. A certain aspect of human nature goes a long way to do this, though; the fact that people need security. For this simple reason, people in power are often more obsessed by staying in power than actually using that power. In such a world, change becomes unwanted. And even when someone comes along, who is willing to sacrifice his or her personal power to achieve a goal, those supporting him or her will also demand a say. No one rules supreme.
Because of this, making sweeping changes, even justifiable or profitable ones, is next to impossible. Instead, success lies in the small print. This is our most valuable tool. We work hard for small changes, which will lay the foundation for more to follow. We work hard to make those in power feel comfortable about the choices, we feel must be made. This involves working with both sides, even the side we do not always agree with.
The Misinterpreted Monoculture
In any part of the world, a specific view of the rest reigns. Beliefs are thought to be the common wish of all, and goals are considered universal. This is not always taken into account when operating for goals that reach beyond ones own sphere. Even the most noble motivations can seem like pure evil to someone of another culture. This makes very specific goals hard to accomplish.
To avoid being trapped by our own motives, we keep things very simple. No matter how much we may disagree with the way someone else handles day-to-day affairs, we will not interfere unless they actively obstruct our work. We also aim for very basic goals, avoiding high ideology and the necesary task of justifying foreign ideals. Our objectives are of very basic nature, ensuring people against common, clearly understandable threats. We do not work to promote a detailed view of how all things should be run, we just want to avoid the worst of consequences.
The Hesitant People
Of the almost 6 billion human beings living on this globe, only a handful truly feel comfortable without the assurance that someone is watching out for both them and their surroundings. Sadly, far more than a handful have experienced loosing this assurance. When things change, only detached outsiders, who have ensurance for their safety, can always keep a focus on what is to be achieved through this change; for those caught in it, the immediate consequences are all that matter. Even the most frightening regimes will often be supported by people no more evil or stupid than anyone you might meet in the streets. They simply fear the anarchy and uncertain future more than the highly imperfect ways things are.
We aim to help people. Therefore, we cannot deny them this feeling of relative safety, even if both they and we know, that things could be far better. We have to make it possible to embrace the changes for which we work without short-circuiting the entire system and casting things into chaos. Again, we have to work hard for subtle changes.
Petty Diplomacy and Selling Gifts
What all this should show, is that our woork is not made up of grandstanding and glorious revolutions. Even if it costs us public glory, we must work on the subtle, or we will be obstructing our own efforts. Also, as we are not in any position to make "demands", our task is to do a lot of ground work to make choices easy for those needing to make them. We need to set petty goals, and we need to make our suggestions for change a gift rather than a challenge to the powers that be.
And we wont even get paid...