There is a saying that history repeats twice, ones as tragedy and then again as farce. Things like Cod War are sometimes seen as a parody of sorts on the much bigger and more important Cold War. Here is how sodas ended up imitating politics. Colours reversed but otherwise a point.
Coca-Cola - USA and 1st world - The original recipe that won the world. Iconic logo and design mostly unchanged since 19th century, ingredients however have evolved rather dramatically. Undisputed leader that stayed on top since inception to present day despite strong challenge from Pepsi
Pepsi - Soviet Bloc - Was created from the start to beat Coke and become No 1 soda producer. Mirrored Coca-Cola lineup one to one with rival offers. Waged costly Cola Wars against Coke, spending billions on ads and celebrity endorsements. In the end Pepsi lost but managed to carve out 2nd place in the big 2. Later went through long soul searching and various redesigns of logo and identity in hope of getting more popular. One consistent feature of design, Pepsi globe, mirrors globe on USSR and Comintern logos.
3rd party coke - 3rd world - Many small alternatives to the big two. Different logos, mostly same taste but cheaper ingredients and worse quality. Most are almost completely unknown to boarder public and have only regional presence. Some try to claim some niche or local identity, other simply presented themselves as cheaper alternatives to Coke. Most identities are based on not being in the big 2, just like any 3rd world dictator who claims to be independent of big superpowers.
Dr Pepper - EU - Actually has a different flavor from the three above. Has its own dedicated fans who praise it as the best. "Intellectual beverage for initiated." Despite that remains far behind in popularity compared to big 2 and limited reach. Shares burgundy color of brand logo with EU Passports.
Schweppes - British Empire - Actual inventor of soda (i.e. carbonated (flavored) drink) as well as that of carbonation process that gives soda its bubbles. Has gazillions of very unique and different flavours, most of which are liked by 3 people something. After long independent run Schweppes is now part of Dr Pepper's Empire and continues to be available to few of its fans.
Surprisingly accurate, it's almost a conspiracy theory. Just like that, global geopolitics are explained with simple soda comparison. So next time when someone suggests replacing Capitalism with Marxism, remember that it's as different as Pepsi is from Coke, which also has plenty of fans who say they taste different. I myself can assure you that Coke tastes better than Pepsi, but I also like Dr Pepper or Cherry Coke.
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