An "alliance" is a formal agreement between two or more parties to work together towards common goals. This can happen between countries, organizations, or even individuals. For example, countries may form military alliances to ensure mutual defense, like the NATO alliance, which helps its members support each other in times of conflict. In business, companies often create alliances to share resources, knowledge, or technology. These partnerships can lead to innovation and growth, as seen in collaborations like the Apple and IBM alliance, which combined their strengths to develop new software solutions. Alliances can be beneficial for achieving shared objectives more effectively.