The Cold War and nuclear war are both a literal and figurative idea in the book. The Cold War, starting in the 1950s and lasting until the 1990s, is the ideological struggle between the Democratic Capitals countries of Western Europe and North America against the Communist Soviet Union. The Cold War is marked by a massive build up of weapons on both sides, although there is never a break out of real violence. This is the world that Bond works in, trying to defeat the Soviets in small battles. While there is never an outbreak of war, the Cold War is fought through small fights over ideas and indirect struggles. This book represents one of these small battles.