In the Cold War, what were the 'sides' and what did they mean and represent OTHER THAN their political nature?

The "sides" in the Cold War were the United States and its
allies and the USSR and its allies.  The main US allies were in Western Europe, but
there were others around the world.  The main allies of the Soviets were in Eastern
Europe, but there were others, notably China, that were more or less allied with the
Soviets.

As far as what they represented, this answer
depends some on what you mean by their "political nature."  Other than communism and
democracy, the two sides represented authoritarianism and freedom, respectively.  But
that seems like the same thing a the communist-democratic
split.

They also represented two different economic
approaches to the world.  The Soviets were a command economy while the US was largely a
market economy.  I don't know if that is political in your mind -- it is clearly a mix
of political and economic.

The US stood, to a large degree,
for a cooperative international system.  They tried to create a world in which countries
cooperated to achieve peace.  The Soviets were more interested in dominating others. 
But is that something other than their "political
nature?"

You could argue that the US stood for more of the
status quo in the world while the Soviets were trying for change.  The US was an
outgrowth of the old Western European dominance while the USSR was something
new.

Perhaps you could elaborate on what you mean by
"political nature..."