User blog comment:Spritydove/Deeper Thought into the Civil War/@comment-1323105-20120618205346

If siding with the Stormcloaks, then Skyrim has the Dragonborn as a weapon to hold the Thalmor at bay. The natural perils of the Sea of Ghosts is also a buffer against sea invasion and Morrowind, Hammerfell and Cyrodil act as buffers against a Thalmor attack on Skyrim. It would be folly to try and invade Skyrim, regardless of how weakened it was due to the civil war.