Hello, world! I've been playing this game only for a short fortnight, but I've already been pretty fortunate to become slowly but steadily exposed to the rich (sometimes muddy, often controversial) history of the game. As I read through the forums and wiki, I can see that some alliance names repeatedly pop up -- they might play for different sides, they might be lauded as heroes or denounced as villains, they might be victors or losers, but they maintain their own unique position in the political system.
Often, their military strength, or their economic system, or their trade in diplomacy is discussed. Recently, TKR celebrated their sixth birthday, which seems like a crazy long time for an alliance to be consistently well-managed. Even if there isn't some secret ingredient to what makes 'a good alliance', surely there are some key factors that increase the chances of a community doing well long-term. I have no real conception of how a conventional alliance works, only what is publicly available. So I suppose my questions are: what combination of factors makes a good alliance? How does one revive a dying alliance? How does one create a good alliance from scratch?