But this alone would not have been enough; indeed, the Cold War could well have turned hot if Western strategy had consisted only of military competition and confrontation. It was important to moderate the competition in order to allow pressure for change to build up from within the Soviet bloc.
但事实上，以上所有因素其实都发挥了一定作用。西方对抗苏联成就的意愿是整个战略不可或缺的组成部分。但仅仅对抗是不够的。的确，如果西方战略仅限于军备竞赛和军事冲突，冷战肯定会演变成一场热战。其关键就在于拿捏控制竞争的剧烈程度，以便能让那些变革的力量在苏维埃集团内部滋长起来。同样重要的则是要令那些在苏联控制下的社会集团意识到自身的缺陷和外来思想的优点。