Betrayers of The Free World reap the benefits of living in The Free World the most, and advance ahead on the social ladder towards decision making positions, perpetuating these bad decisions.
And people who did the right decision, have to pay twice. One is the opportunity price, and another is the externality price.
I am 41, so, old enough to remember the end of the cold war as a child. I was almost exactly 10 at the fall of the USSR.
But, maybe most importantly, I am not from the US nor Russia, I am French. And while we were on clearly the western side, we had a somewhat more nuanced view of the conflict, I mean, we even had (and still have) a communist party.
And people who did the right decision, have to pay twice. One is the opportunity price, and another is the externality price.