THE COLD WAR AND THE WEST
39
am puzzled as to how to estimate the Soviet Union's present aims.
I agree wholly neither with those who argue that
it
is no longer
an expansionist power nor with the more prevalent view that the
Communist rulers of Russia have always and forever aspired to
world domination.
I think it undeniable that the Soviet Union is currently "win–
ning" the cold war. For the past four years-since the launching
of their Sputnik-the Russians have given the impression that they
are ahead of us in military power and world influence. (Whether
this
is actually true is less important than the fact that most people,
particularly in Asia and Africa, seem to think it true.) In the
major crises of the past year-Laos, Cuba, Berlin-the Soviet Union
has scored more points than we have. In this sense, I agree with
those in our own country who are currently sounding the alarm.
I differ with them, however, in taking a less national and power–
political view of the matter. The point, I believe, is not to preserve
America's position as first among the powers; it is to save the free
and humane values of the West as a whole. In this second respect,
the situation may be somewhat less dangerous. I am quite ready to
grant that Khrushchev and his colleagues would like to humiliate
and down-grade the United States as a great power. I am less
convinced that they intend to "enslave" us and our ideological as–
sociates in Europe and the Commonwealth.
Here the growing ideological rift between Russia and China
is of crucial importance. It means that Soviet Communism is being
outflanked on the left-that it is being pushed toward the "center"
of the international political alignment. I think it probable that
in the next few years most of the world's Communist parties will
repeat this cleavage: in nearly every country there will emerge a
"hard," revolutionary faction loyal to Peiping as opposed to the
"moderates" who will look to Moscow for guidance. The mono–
lithic character of international Communism is already breaking
down: in the coming decade it will doubtless disintegrate still further.
The dispute with the Chinese has both reflected and intensified
the Russian people's evolution toward attitudes similar to our own.
Soviet society is becoming more humane and more satisfied; the
long-promised consumers' paradise is taking on reality at last. And
with the first tokens of affluence the Russians are acquiring a stake
