1. United States
2. Letter

I am writing you today to offer some kind words of advice and education. They say you should learn something new every day, and I have to be honest with you, I learn something new every time I read the newspaper these days, thanks to you… That being said, I would love to return the favor and offer you a lesson in return. Follow along if you can. And if you can’t, that’s ok, this is a letter, so you can reread it as often as you need. NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is a political and military alliance formed in 1949 to guarantee the security of its members through collective defense. It connects North America and Europe with a core principle that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all (Article 5). It was primarily instituted to control any targeted attacks from the soviets following the conclusion of WWII, but functions the same in terms of any acts of aggression against them. Members of NATO work together to solve problems. They’re friends. Do we disagree with our friends? Sure. Sometimes. But do we outright fight with them? Not if we value our friendships, right? Now, I know that in your mind, violent aggression is the best way to get what you want. Believe it or not, though, it isn’t! NATO encourages international allegiances and diplomacy to solve world issues. This means that instead of their fists, they use their words to settle disputes. Military intervention is considered a last resort! They’ve been operating peacefully under these protocols for nearly 77 years, and it has worked beautifully, as intended. Words have meaning. Words have power. Using your words is a stronger show of power than using your fists (or tanks or drones or bombs). There are 32 friends in NATO. Working together, these friends resolve disputes and do their best to prevent conflict. Worst case scenario, they will use physical actions to defend one another if all else fails. This means if you get punched in the face by someone else, your friends will fight on your behalf. You follow? This promotes collective security among the 32 friends against global threats like terrorism and cyber attacks, as well as a generalized crisis management platform to handle these threats. When the September 11 attacks occurred, NATO joined forces to occupy key sites in the Middle East to mitigate any further aggression against the United States of America. What does this mean? It means that our friends united against our enemies to stave off any further attacks on U.S. soil. Friends are good. Now you say you think they’re nothing more than a paper dragon. In spite of having witnessed firsthand the efficacy of NATO at work, you think their very existence does nothing to aid our nation. It’s simply not true. I know they don’t want to play with you right now, but that’s not because they aren’t our friends. It’s because when our friends see you doing something bad on the global playground, they want you to do the right thing. They won’t help you do the wrong thing. Get it? So. Recap. NATO = friends Russia = enemies Russia is currently backing Iran in a military action directed by the United States. You want NATO to help you, but they know you’re wrong. This makes you angry, so you want to throw away your friendships and stand alone. You’re forgetting that Russia is still a strong aggressor and that NATO is what stands between Russia and the U.S. This means if you leave the secure bonds of NATO and Putin decides to strike the United States, you’ll truly stand alone. No one wants to be the target of a bully. Everyone wants friends. Stop threatening your friends. The United States needs NATO, and NATO needs the United States.