How Ironic if the Cold Warriors were Right about Russia

All the time I was at RAND and in all the years afterwards, when I read the views of the "cold warriors", I dismissed their arguments that Russia was in some sense evil. Yes, they were an adversary and Stalinism and Marxist/Leninist doctrine caused a lot of (to my mind) needless suffering of their own people and many people who were in some real sense "innocent". But I never really bought the "evil empire" schtick. How ironic, if the Cold Warriors were "right" and Russians turn out to be barbarians who are a threat to civilization. How ironic and disappointing.