A help would be (for both newbies and alliances) is to have the alliance be a larger part of the game rather than just a box you fill in on your nation screen.
Bring that sense of community to the player, rather than on an off site forums.
Right now my alliance is pretty much based around a bunch of friends all on irc talking !@#$ and whatever, most nights CN doesn't even enter our minds.
The game needs to be more interactive, it needs to be quicker too.
Aid slots should expire after 5 days, Wars should run on a 12 hour rather than 24 hour basis.
And we need a way to school newbies before throwing them into the deep end.
Sorry if I've repeated anyone.