The soviets were on the correct side in Afghanistan, even if it did not work out. The Stalin era was not perfect by any means, but it was better than the Khrushchev era, and especially the Gorbachev era. "Stalinism" isn't really a thing to begin with. 5 year plans were tremendously successful on the whole, which is why they are a staple feature of many socialist countries today. The USSR wasn't perfect, that isn't my point. My point is that the US Empire has always been worse than post-Tsarist Russia, whether it be during its much better socialist period or the worse modern capitalist period, simply due to how horrendous the US Empire is.