Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-27157999-20160710144119/@comment-4708902-20170209171938

Blademaster Jauffre wrote:

Godzillavkk wrote: I side with the Empire always because if the Stormcloaks have their way, one of two things will happen. 1. The dominion crushes them and since Skyrim will be cut off from the Empire's resources, they won't have the men or money to fight them. 2. If Skyrim holds the line, and the Nords being just as racist and arrogant as the Thalmor, they'll likely start conquests of their own and built a "Nordic Dominion" where Elves are second class and humans are first class.

The Empire may be a shell of it's former self, but it allows travel between providnces, and tries to maintain the little dignity it has left. In hindight, it's a lesser of two evils.
 * 3. Skyrim remains independent and due to it being too weak for conquest and too poor for food production, it will starve.

I suppose that's also plausible.