Majors always blackmail?

[The Gnome]

I'm on my third game, and keep ending up with the same general result:

- Majors on all my borders.
- All start to blackmail
- One after the other, they all start to declare war, even though I have a much stronger military than the aggressor.

Does something cause the blackmail state? (I swear I haven't been to Epstein's island!) I tend to choose the "friendly" options when dealing with my neighbors. Once you're being blackmailed, is it possible to break the cycle without war?

Also, does the AI ever fight itself? The AI all seem to dog pile on me once the first declares war. Is the AI in coop mode vs the human?

[Radagar]

Blackmail is just low relations with them from what I can tell. I used those cards that increase relation for PP to raise from blackmail to cold instead.

[Saros]

Ai definitely fights each other but also looks for opportunities to dogpile people. Initial relationships are largely affected by the type of regime and ruling party so check those.

[The Gnome]

Thanks for the input, I'll the cards to snap them out of the blackmail state.