The Cold War was, to steal a term from Carlin, a war about who had a bigger dick. Besides the fact that no direct war was ever fought, the battles between Yanks and Soviets was about America wanting to be the most powerful nation in the world and the Soviets wanting to be the most powerful force in the world. It was not a war fought because one side wanted to have better science. The science involved was a further continuation of showing who's dick was bigger. Actually, who's dick was smarter. The Soviets claimed they were so America had to try and upstage them, and vice versa.