We were eligible for a sanction only because GPA, NADC and GATO got their $@! handed to them. It would've been different if we'd been growing tremendously for some time; we're not. Other than that, I am certain RoK is not doing this to taunt us. They want to grow stronger, just like everybody else, and obviously saw a great opportunity in absorbing (merging also means: "to become combined, united, swallowed up, or absorbed; lose identity by uniting or blending") two alliances into their own. A sanction is nothing more than a by-product of that growth.
Anyway, mergers never lead to 'letting go' an alliance's culture, especially when two relatively evenly matched alliances like RoK and ASC are combined. This is what makes it hard to sustain, as I pointed out when VE suddenly gained incredible score after Atlantis' disbandment. Deciding to merge is easy, keeping everyone happy in a new environment is what makes it so hard.
So congrats on the impressive gain, RoK, and good luck.