The Western Bloc, also known as the Capitalist Bloc, the American Bloc, and the NATO Bloc, was a coalition of countries that were officially allied with the United States during the Cold War of 1947–1991. While the NATO member states, in Western Europe and North America, were pivotal to the bloc, it included many other countries, in the broader Asia-Pacific region, Middle East, Latin America, and Africa with histories of anti-Soviet, anti-communist and, in some cases anti-socialist, ideologies and policies. As such, the bloc was opposed to the political systems and foreign policies of communist countries, which were centered on the Soviet Union, other members of the Warsaw Pact and, usually, the People's Republic of China. The name "Western bloc" emerged in response to, and as the antithesis of, its communist counterpart: the Eastern bloc. Throughout the Cold War, the governments and the Western media were more inclined to refer to themselves as the Free World or the First World, whereas the Eastern bloc was often referred to as the "Communist World" or, less commonly, the "Second World". 1947–1991 Western Bloc associations NATO Belgium* Canada* Denmark* France* FR Germany (1955–1990) Greece (from 1952) Iceland* Italy* Luxembourg* Netherlands* Norway* Portugal* Spain (from 1982) Turkey (from 1952) United Kingdom* United States* Five Eyes Australia Canada New Zealand United Kingdom United States ANZUS Australia New Zealand United States Anti-Soviet communist or socialist states (until 1989) China (from 1978) Democratic Kampuchea (from 1978) CGDK (from 1982) Romania (from 1964) Yugoslavia (from 1948) Compact of Free Association Marshall Islands Micronesia Palau United States METO, Baghdad Pact, CENTO (until 1979) Iran (until 1979) Iraq (until 1958) Pakistan (until 1979) Turkey (until 1979) United Kingdom (until 1979) Rio Treaty Argentina Bahamas (from 1982) Bolivia (until 2005) Brazil Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba (1902–1959) (until 1959) Dominican Republic (until 1990) Ecuador (until 2012) El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Mexico Nicaragua (until 1979) Panama Paraguay Peru Trinidad and Tobago (from 1967) United States Uruguay Venezuela (until 1999, rejoined 2019 by Juan Guaidó) SEATO (until 1977) Australia (until 1977) Cambodia (until 1956) Khmer Republic (1970–1975) France (until 1965) Laos (until 1975) New Zealand (until 1977) Pakistan (until 1972) Philippines (until 1977) Republic of Vietnam (until 1975) Thailand (until 1977) United Kingdom (until 1977) United States (until 1977) Middle East/North Africa Region Afghanistan (2001–2021) Bahrain Egypt (from 1979) Iran (until 1979) Iraq (until 1990) Israel Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Libya (before 1969, from