Beyond the U.S. and USSR, significant competitors in Cold War politics included nations like China, which pursued its own communist agenda under Mao Zedong, and countries aligning with the Non-Aligned Movement, such as India and Yugoslavia. Additionally, Western European nations often acted as battlegrounds for various proxy wars and political influences. The engagement of other regional powers, particularly in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, demonstrated how the ideological struggle between capitalism and communism extended beyond just the superpowers, shaping international dynamics globally.