Let's investigate the multiple factions theory a bit further.
We know that Courtney appealed to the Domain and the Galactic Federation of Worlds:
➡️ https://www.farsightprime.com/appeal-to-the-domain-on-behalf-of-earth
➡️ https://www.farsightprime.com/humanity-s-appeal-to-the-galactic-federation-of-worlds
Courtney emphasizes that the good ETs are stronger than the bad ETs, because they have more ships in the solar system. As far as I'm concerned, he is referring to the Domain. If I remember correctly, he already mentioned somewhere that the Domain owns the solar system.
But the Domain and the Federation aren't allies. In the Domain project, one of the questions was how strong both would be if they were allied, and the response was: If they were allies, nobody could stop them. But besides this possible benefit, both factions don't seem to like each other.
This implies that the Federation doesn't have a military foothold in the solar system, or if they did, the Domain still remains the superior power.
If you didn't notice: While the appeal to the Domain is still available, the appeal to the Federation has been taken down, even on YouTube, which could be a hidden message to tell us that the Federation rejected the appeal, or is unable to help humanity under current conditions.
There's also the possibility that the Federation and the Domain made an agreement. Everything seems to depend on the so-called "decision of humanity", implying that the Federation and the Domain compete against each other.
As far as I'm concerned, the Domain is an authoritarian society with a strict hierarchy. They aren't individualists. This matches the mindset of the Commander, who most likely is the representative of the Domain. Their authoritarian mindset could be the reason why the Federation doesn't like the Domain, and why the Domain leadership thinks that the Federation is "messy".
Interestingly, Courtney is presenting the "free will" and "messy consent" narrative of the Federation.
If you ask me, the Federation and the Domain did make an agreement. It's like a contest: The Domain agreed that the Federation "can have" humanity if the Federation manages to convince humanity to choose them.
From the viewpoint of the Domain, they agreed to this contest because they have a genuine interest in ending the prison planet to prevent the possible holocaust in the future, as well as not having to fight against the Old Empire and the Federation at the same time.
From the viewpoint of the Federation, they seem to have no choice. They also try to avoid any military conflict that can be avoided.
Courtney seems to be trapped between the "Security of the Tower" (Domain) and the "Freedom of the Void" (Federation).