The reading I have done on Imperial City and what I saw and heard during the QuakeCon panel seem to clash with what I thought Imperial City was once supposed to be.
Without too much verbiage, it seems during development Imperial City has morphed into its own separate PvP zone rather than being a part of the Cyrodiil alliance war (my current understanding).
Will anyone care about the war for the keeps anymore? Will your alliance having an emperor crowned mean anything within Imperial City? Basically, when Imperial City drops, is there any reason to care about what happens in Cyrodiil versus what is occurring within Imp City?