User blog comment:Spritydove/Deeper Thought into the Civil War/@comment-4130671-20120615050309

According to the Thalmor, a victory for either side would lessen their power, at least a small bit. That means whether the Imperials OR Stormcloaks gain power during the war, It means less power for the Dominion. If the Imperial legion wins the war, they gain the support of many Nords to help them. That means that they could eventually fight back against the Aldmeris and defeat them. But, If the Stormcloaks win the war, they have the power of the entire province. The Stormcloaks could begin liberation of other provinces, such as Hammerfell and Morrowind. They could eventually gain enough influence to attack and bring down the Dominion completely. That's why the Thalmor want the war to keep going as long as possible, to keep BOTH sides too weak to fully retaliate. Winning the war for either sides will help bring down the supremacist Elves, so fighting over who would get more leverage over the Thalmor after the war is basically never going to come to an end. Picking sides on the Civil war all comes down to who has the right to the throne of High King.