Chaza umehluko wesimo sengqondo ngokumelene neWestern Bloc phakathi kwabaholi baseSoviet abacashunwe embhalweni.
Context:Kusukela ngo-1957 kuya ku-1961, uKhrushchev wasongela ngokuphindaphindiwe futhi obala iNtshonalanga ngokuqothulwa kwenuzi. Wathi amabutho aseSoviet anamandla kakhulu kunase-United States, akwazi ukubhubhisa noma iliphi idolobha laseMelika noma laseYurophu. Nokho, ngokusho kukaJohn Lewis Gaddis, uKhrushchev wenqaba "ukukholelwa kuStalin ukuthi impi ayinakugwenywa". Umholi omusha wamemezela ukuthi umgomo wakhe oyinhloko "ukuphila ndawonye ngokuthula". Ngokwezwi likaKhrushchev, ukuthula kwakuzovumela ukuba ikapitali iwele yodwa, kanye nokunikeza amaSoviet isikhathi sokuthuthukisa amakhono awo ezempi, ahlala amashumi eminyaka kuze kube "ukucabanga okusha" kukaGorbachev kamuva okucabanga ukuthi ukuhlala ndawonye ngokuthula kuyinjongo uqobo kunokuba kube uhlobo lomzabalazo wezigaba.
UStalin wayekholelwa ukuthi impi ngokumelene neWestern Bloc yayingenakugwenywa. Kunalokho, uKhrushchev wayekholelwa ukuthi la maqembu amabili ayengakugwema ukulwa ngoba impi yayingadingekile ukuze i-Eastern Bloc ibe namandla; i-Western Bloc yayizohluleka ngendlela ehlelekile. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, uGorbachev wayekholelwa ngempela ekuhlalisaneni ngokuthula phakathi kwamaqembu amabili.