Dear Mr. or Madame President,

I am an 11th grader at Marlborough School in Los Angeles, California. At just 16 years old, I know my words will not have an effect on your decisions and time in office, but these issues will effect me, my parents, my children, and their future families. I am writing this letter to you today, hoping that you will protect the ones I love and the future of this country. This Fall when you are elected, you might be overwhelmed with the responsibility and massive amount of power that has been put into your hands. In this letter I will focus on the impact you will have on our foreign affairs, which I know has been one of the largest issues in your campaign. In the wake of this new wave of technology, ISIS, and the rising threat of cyber warfare, it is essential that our country has a good relationship with the other major powers of the world to insure international safety.

One of the largest issues of our generation is the growing violence and terrorism in the Middle East, and the largest contributor to this chaos is ISIS. How we deal with ISIS has been a main issue in the debates and a controversial question that the whole world is thinking about. The way that you deal with this will have a profound impact on our generation and every generation to come. So don’t just think about today, or tomorrow, or your lifetime for that matter, think about course that you are setting for the future. Which decision will protect humanity and allow the world to move towards being a peaceful place without the constant threat of war and violence? That is why I urge you to resist using immediate and irrational action in the Middle East.

Donald Trump is known for prioritizing military power and his hope for immediate warfare in the Middle East. If it is you reading this letter, Mr. President, I ask you to think about the consequences of your actions and to not just focus on the short term solution you have come up with to remain ahead in the polls. Engaging in a violent way with other countries that possess nuclear weapons could spark the next world war and devastation across the planet. You have been very verbal about your wanting to use nuclear and militaristic action again ISIS and I challenge you to think about the retaliation and counterattacks we would suffer. It is essential that you think about these things when you are deciding how to deal with our national security. Another aspect of your campaign that has harmed our country’s foreign relations is your constant verbal hatred toward other nations and races. In this time of fear, with the threat of worldwide warfare looming over our heads, the last thing that our president needs to do is distance the U.S. from our allies and other countries around the world. The powerful nations of the world must come together to protect humanity and we need a president who we can trust to do this.

Hilary Clinton has a far more grounded and practical response to this issue. Madame President, if it is you who has been elected, I respect you and your initiative towards ISIS and the Middle East. I think that the argument you presented in opposition to Trump’s idea to send troops to the Middle East is genius. You contradict his statement by saying that this will provide new vulnerability for the U.S. and kill american citizens. It is calculated strategies and increased cyber security that will protect us against ISIS, not rash decisions. I respect your experience in the U.S. government and I believe that it has made you fit to deal with foreign affairs like these. If you are in the White House, I feel safer lying in my bed knowing the you are the one with your hand on the nuclear trigger.

Our safety lies in your hands…

Sincerely,

Aliza W.