The West has been destroying itself lately, imagine if the Soviets could take advantage of it
The USSR as it existed towards the end was totally united with the US on the middle eastern policy of the 1990s that eventually went on to become the Iraq war, the Afghanistan war, the Libyan invasion and the broader support of the Saudis against the Iranians. They probably would’ve held the same role in the Syrian conflict though, but that’s minimal compared to the other stuff.
The big thing that the USSR still existing would’ve done is prevent the EU from becoming the powerful force it is currently, and the Warsaw pact would’ve likely developed into something very similar to that of the EU today but centered around social democracy first rather than broader liberalism and austerity first.
