• Superpowers used their military power to bring countries into their respective alliances.
• Soviet Union used its influence in Eastern Europe so that the eastern half of Europe remained within its sphere of influence.
• In East and Southeast Asia and in West Asia, the US built an alliance called South East Asian Treaty Organisation (SEATO) and the Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO).
• The Soviet Union responded by having close relations with regional countries such as North Vietnam, North Korea and Iraq.
