by Stephen Karganovic, Strategic Culture:

Throughout the decades of the Cold War, whilst the blocs were competing, two major attractions worked powerfully to the advantage of the West. Firstly, the comfort and prosperity that it was able to provide to its citizens, which its Eastern rivals could hardly match. The second feature that in the eyes of the world gave the West a huge competitive edge was the comparatively better performance of its institutions in securing individual liberties.

The twin advantages of prosperity and the impression that the West valued freedom neutralised successfully most of the theoretical critique of the capitalist social and economic model. The West’s ostensible commitment to personal liberties acted as a powerful magnet. As a political weapon it thus served its purpose effectively. So long as scrupulous adherence to the rule of law and respect for individual rights were seen as their distinguishing characteristic, Western societies were perceived as a desirable alternative to the competing systems, which often disregarded strict legality and did little to reduce arbitrariness.