Your political reputation affects how likely allies are to trust you and what kind of deals they'll offer at the negotiating table. There's also some emotional response in there so factions do bear grudges. Just like the real thing.
It's a really unfair world because life is where I am all day long we listen to American music. So I don't see why the radios in the U.S. cannot even put aside one hour a day just to play music that is not American.