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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is the most powerful alliance in the world. Some of the reasons countries do or do not join are straightforward. But others are downright bizarre. This video explains them all, including how the pyramid schemes and the word "North" kept two countries out for years.

0:00 NATO: The World's Most Powerful Alliance
0:31 The Origins of NATO: "Keeping the Russians Out"
1:35 The Founding Members of NATO and Cold War Additions
4:02 Post-Cold War Expansion
6:44 The North Macedonia Naming Dispute
7:34 Geographic Restrictions
8:58 NATO Opponents
10:22 Neutral States
11:36 Microstates
11:59 Instability and Conflict

Images licensed under CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

From 7th Army Training Command:
https://flickr.com/photos/7armyjmtc/2...
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https://flickr.com/photos/7armyjmtc/1...
https://flickr.com/photos/7armyjmtc/2...

From U.S. Secretary of Defense:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/secdef/...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/secdef/...


Images licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 Germany (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

From Bundesarchiv:
https://www.bild.bundesarchiv.de/dba/...
https://www.bild.bundesarchiv.de/dba/...
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https://www.bild.bundesarchiv.de/dba/...


Images licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

From Kremlin.ru:
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president...
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president...

Photo of Transnistrian parade courtesy of Government of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.