The Alliance is going to come out of the Siege of Orgrimmar pretty much intact. While they've suffered some terrible losses since Garrosh drummed up the war machine, it looks like Theramore was the last major victory Hellscream's Horde would make against its perennial enemy. So while I hope that we at least get to see a little more of the Alliance side of things, what's more immediately interesting is what will happen in the Horde's future.
I've often argued that the position of Warchief may be abolished. Thrall's Horde was built on the notion of freedom and cooperation. Sure, even in the best of times it bore some of the unsavory vestiges of its barbarous past, but fundamentally, Thrall was trying to build something that was sustainable, that would allow its citizens to be good citizens of Azeroth.
In such a society, does an absolute dictator really have a place? Thrall was a benevolent dictator who delegated his power to local leaders, but literally every other Warchief was essentially a brute, ruling through fear and violence.
That said, the Horde will need some sort of executive leadership. Even in a Council-like set-up, you need someone who can make the quick decisions, especially in a world as volatile as Azeroth.
So whether they call it the Warchief or the Chairman of the War Council or anything else, who should lead the Horde? For now, let's look at the various leaders of the Horde races.
Thrall: Assuming he survives the siege, Thrall would be the most obvious person to lead the Orcs once again. Thrall is really a sort of founding father of the Horde, and it was to Thrall that most of the other Horde races swore their allegiance. He is well-liked even by much of the Alliance, and his inclination tends toward a rapprochement between the two factions, which would make him an ideal peace-time leader. On the other hand, he bears a certain amount of responsibility for Garrosh. His leaving to become the World-Shaman plunged the Horde into tyranny, doing huge damage to his credibility. Likewise, he may in fact not want to lead his people. With a new family and a stronger connection to his Shamanism, he may prefer that someone else take the reins.
Vol'jin: The next most obvious leader, Vol'jin spearheaded the entire rebellion against Garrosh. It was his willingness to put his people at risk that gave the Horde a figure to rally around and throw off Garrosh's shackles. Vol'jin and his Darkspear are some of the oldest members of the New Horde, and Vol'jin has been a trusted advisor to Thrall throughout his tenure as Warchief. Likewise, Vol'jin has shown a willingness to reach out to the Alliance, both in heading off the rise of the Zandalari during Cataclysm, and also coordinating with them in the run-up to the Siege of Orgrimmar. However, Vol'jin has only led one of the smaller Horde populations. He's proven himself as a military leader, and as a diplomat, but will he be strong enough to keep everyone in line? Any non-Orc leader is going to have to deal with Orcish attitudes about race, but Vol'jin stood as the main figurehead in opposition to that philosophy. Even if he is cheered on by the vast majority of the Horde, surely there will be some Orcs who liked things under Garrosh, and would want this mongrel usurper dead.
Baine Bloodhoof: Baine is young, but he inherited a lot of the credibility of his father Cairne. The Tauren have always been the friendly, quiet members of the Horde. Non-aggressive and deeply dedicated to the preservation of the natural world, it's hard to hate the Tauren, even if you're Alliance. Baine has also become friends with Anduin Wyrnn, which could be a good resource for maintaining the post-Siege peace. Also, the Tauren are one of the most established races on Kalimdor. On the other hand, the Tauren's idyllic lifestyle does not necessarily gel with the rest of the Horde. Does Baine know much about organizing an industrial society? The Tauren are forgiving enough that they may not quite be able to deal with some of the dangerous elements in the Horde. Speaking of which...
Sylvanas Windrunner: Sylvanas does not lack for ambition. More than any other racial faction, her Forsaken seem almost like an independent force of its own. Sylvanas could easily break away from the Horde and likely keep her current territory. She has proven to be an extremely successful war-leader - far more than Garrosh, actually - and after the Battle of Undercity, she has absolute control over her capital. However, there are a few huge problems. First, no one trusts her. Even her closest allies are wary of her methods and question her motivations. Secondly, those who are not her allies either hate her or want nothing to do with her. Sylvanas is not the kind of person who is going to be forging any useful alliances. She did bring the Blood Elves in, but even they are more comfortable with the Trolls and Tauren than they are with the Forsaken. Third of all, it's likely she doesn't really want to rule the whole Horde. She has her fiercely loyal followers (some of whom are brainwashed to adore her.) Why get into the messiness of politics when she has an empire of her own?
Lor'themar Theron: After years of obscurity, Lor'themar broke out onto the geopolitical stage in a big way. Lor'themar has proven to be a capable military commander, leading his forces to the Isle of Thunder. Also, unlike the other Horde leaders, he has a certain freshness, despite how long the Blood Elves have been members. Lor'themar does not have any enemies in the Horde (save Garrosh) and he may be the only leader who could actually manage to convince Sylvanas to play nice. The Blood Elves suffered a bit of a PR hit during the Burning Crusade, but that's long over, and the Kael'thas loyalists must be either totally marginalized or dead at this point. Admittedly, there are still some vestiges of the tyranny of the Magisters in Silvermoon, but overall Lor'themar has proven his people's willingness to serve the Horde. Sadly, his in with the Alliance has been all but scuttled thanks to the Dalaran Incident, so it is unlikely that he will have much of an easier time making peace with them, even if the joint effort of the Siege might ameliorate that problem a bit.
Gallywix: No one has seen or heard from Gallywix since the beginning of the Cataclysm. Beside that, the goblins have a strictly greed-based ethic, so Gallywix would only be Warchief if he could make a bigger profit that way than by serving under the Horde. I don't think the Horde wants an amoral mercenary for a leader.
Ji Firepaw: The Wandering Isle Pandaren are barely integrated into the Alliance or Horde. I don't think Ji ever had the kind of influence on Horde politics that any other racial leader might have. Frankly, after his experiences with Garrosh, I wouldn't be surprised if Ji left Durotar to live in Pandaria after this. More could be said about the influence (or lack thereof) of the Wandering Isle Pandaren on their respective factions.
So there you have it: some options for leadership. Frankly I'd say Vol'jin stands the best chance, but I would also like to see a kind of Horde reformation. Things only worked under Thrall because he managed to be incorruptible as a benevolent dictator. That's an incredibly rare thing, so I think the Horde needs to undergo some big changes to limit the powers of its executive, lest we stumble into another Hellscream situation.
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