User blog comment:Thedoucheinthenorth/The Civil War - Why it is great/@comment-5469467-20121101051603/@comment-5135631-20121103153424

Talos worship is a part of it. Whether they treat it loosely or not, they still make it illegal. How long does the Empire wish to uphold the Concordat? Another year? Another decade? Another century?

The Empire like to say that they are keeping the Dominion out of Skyrim. The truth is the exact opposite. They are the reason the dominion is in Skyrim. Hammerfell could push out the Aldmeri. Skyrim can to. And don't throw back the excuse that the Aldmeri were weak at the time, because the Redguards were weak as well. If they put too many troops in Skyrim - or in fact any troops - then the Empire will act, and Hammerfell will to. Any significant invasion of Skyrim is doomed to fail. Hard to attack by land and even harder to attack by sea. Hammerfell was divided when it fought the Dominion, between the Crowns and Forebears. Skyrim is divided now, and it has only been at war for a year by the time of the Dragonborn's involvement (Ulfric killed Torygg in 4E201). There is no doubt in my mind that Skyrim could push back an attack independently. If Skyrim stays part of the Empire and the Empire goes to war again and lose again, there will be no treaty. Skyrim will have to survive on it's own. Then everyone will see it could in the first place.