I tend to agree that critics often attribute meanings to literature that the author may never have intended. That's part of what makes the discussion so interesting and animated and personal.
I haven't finished the book yet so I haven't formed any cohesive opinions on the themes yet. I am only at 70% or so and haven't gotten through the parts addressing the Earth war. Therefore my thoughts are certainly in development and could change.
The Cold War started in the mid to late 1940s after WWII, although some historians even date it back to the Russian revolution of 1917. George Orwell used the term in 1945. The McCarthy era started around the time the book was published.
India and Pakistan fought for independence in the 1940s, achieving it by 1947. Lots was also happening to define the borders of the Middle Eastern countries as we know them today. Israel declared independence in 1948. Some African colonies had also gained independence by the time this book was published to be accelerated after WWII. Then there was the Atlantic Charter in the early 1940s between the US and UK attempting to define post-war goals and rights of people to self-determination.