Eh, I disagree.
The large petulant contingent that was present in CN's earlier days complicated FA a lot more. Dealing with flaky loyalties, rogues and trigger-happy idiots took a lot of stamina and thinking from alliance leaders as these erratic people were casus belli goldmines. Plus, inter-alliance differences was very palatable and each typically had a distinct approach to politics, so there was a lot more worrying with coming across the wrong way (and of course, making sure said idiots didn't take things OOC).
Ted feels a lot more uniform nowadays, and intrigue tends to come out more by virtue of being on different sides on the fence rather than a feeling of genuine animosity . The user base is more mature and generally more conscious of their own actions, but it doesn't mean the discourse is any tougher. If anything, it's more streamlined.