by TGCRequiem
The missing point is maybe that pesky 32 point "weak" player could now be a threat to your overall score. Not only could he attack you and cause you to lose points overall, but the threat of him potentially attacking could cause you to stretch your defense very thin, which could in turn cause you to lose more overall. So now instead of scoring 44 you lose a couple regions and finish with say 38.The key thing is had you joined him, you could have "confidently" focused elsewhere...and so could he. Perhaps his 32 could have come from him thinning his lines for fear of being attacked by you. As a team he in turns focuses all of his energy elsewhere and in turn cranks his score up to 40, you sit around 46, and together score 43. His focus elsewhere knocks your closest opponent down from 44 to 40 and now you two are joint winners.
On the flip side you could be right. I think the big thing is Alliances in most situations are going to be most beneficial when formed earlier in the game. Later on, it may sway more in your viewpoint, but not necessarily...you just have to read each game as it goes and make the best decision you can to help yourself win.