User blog comment:Spritydove/Deeper Thought into the Civil War/@comment-1840877-20120629132604/@comment-5135631-20120702170240

If the Empire is "keeping the Dominion out of Skyrim", (though what they actually mean is 'let them do whatever they like as long as they don't attack the Empire again') and the Stormcloaks can beat the Empire, then theoretically the Stormcloaks (which in the post-war context means the whole of Skyrim, when I speak at least) should be able to keep the Dominion out as well AND retain their laws, customs and religion, which is one up on Torygg and the Empire.

In reality, the Stormcloaks have an even better chance of maintaining their sovreignty in the long run, due to the fact that if the Thalmor were to invade they wouldn't be able to beat the Nords on their own turf. Because the Thalmor beat the Empire in CYRODILL, which is easier to manouver in than Skyrim and is much warmer and 'flat' in terms of the land, they assume that the Thalmor could beat the Empire anywhere. This is not true; the Redguard beat the Thalmor completely out of their lands in the respectable period of 5 years. If they couldn't conquer Hammerfell, which has deserts which are a natural obstacle but also a lot of flat land, what hope would they have in Skyrim, the cold, mountainous region that is almost a complete polar opposite to the lands the Thalmor do well in?

Again, the Dragons are more likely to attack a Thalmor army in Skyrim than a Nordic one, because whatever race the Dragonborn is (Nordic in the developer's view), he/she is against the Thalmor.

To quote Rodrik Cassel from A Song Of Ice And Fire, "Shouldn't take too long My Prince, Southerners don't do well up here."