So if the local fight numbers were even, as a country there was probably a fight not too far away where your countrymen had extreme numbers advantages and were rolling bases unaffected. The ENY allowed the low side to concentrate on the fight they felt was important at the detriment of the other bases. But overall they were still losing the war.
Sure when the 2 low sided countries both fight the high side it might seem unfair to have ENY but those "alliances" are fleeting and it wont be long before one of the low sided countries gets ganged. Then a lack of ENY would be even more unfair.
In a 3 way fight, it's up to each country to find a way to try and win. If you have a numerical advantage you have to deal with ENY. It's the most fair solution to an unfair situation if you are unwilling to switch sides.