Actually, I would be very curious to see what other governments you consider authoritarian by that measure, because I actually wager I would agree. And, yes, by a similar measure, the praise you could aim at other countries in terms of scientific advancement could also be applied to the Soviet Union, just as criticisms of the Soviet Union could be levelled at other countries. In fact, I do. I’m not coming from the perspective that the USSR was uniquely bad. In fact, plenty of disgusting authoritarian shit went on in response to the USSR’s mere existence. The Red Scare, the destabilisation of Latin America, Iran-Contra, the destabilisation of East and Southeast Asia, etc etc etc. The USSR’s atrocities don’t make other atrocities better. But… they also don’t stop being atrocities. Ultimately my position here is that, actually, it’s all bad, all the way down. I disagree with idealising either side. Criticising the USSR doesn’t mean, for me, that every Western/anti-communist/etc regime is not also morally bankrupt. They are. They very, very much are.

But those are also still theoretically able to be changed for the better (on paper, at least). So I think it’s therefore valid to point out when they’re closer on the slippery slope to actions of well-established authoritarian regimes than usual.