[Cyrien]

If you can trade for the colonizing techs. If possible trade for them with a neutral race that will never leave it's home system anyways. Failing that trade with the weakest alien out there that has what you want. Trade it with a race you know you are about to kill but are currently still peacefull with. Failing all of the above trade with someone far far away AND with their neighbor, for other techs you need or their colonizing tech if different. This will prevent the AI from expanding rampantly over it's neighbors far from your own borders and becoming a major threat later on. Thus preventing your descendants from regreting your hasty trades in later decades and bad mouthing your policies in history texts.

[This message has been edited by Cyrien (edited 29 October 2001).]