first of all, gorby was quite an ordinary product of soviet staff-breeding. it was reagan who made the perestroyka.
All this American spew about how it was Raegan that effectively took down the USSR. Gorbachev was simply a bad choice that the Comittee picked (and we all know how bad their choices are, Stalin being prime, and Lenin warning against about Stalin becoming leader). Raegan did not hold any position in Sovet politics. You're better than that.
Assuming Andropov was still alive and ruling in 1991, I think Russia would have been stuck in the glories of the Brezhnev times. Tensions would become relaxed, and, though it's hard to predict, I think it would be an even more glorious Brezhnev era, with the .сс becoming trending and popular. An online Sovet encylopaedia, an online Sovet influence internet, that would be interesting.
in short, my opinion is that the 21 century is not a favourable time for huge empires, except probably the united world empire
I disagree, I think the pesky United World Empire is detrimental to the interests of Belarus and that the United Asian Empire would kill it before it hurt anybody seriously. But maybe the United Galactic Empire would be involved as well?
so the system "u get what u are after" is, finally, much more nice to people than the hyper-effective stalinist hell.
There are four portrayals and systems.
Capitalism bad: You stay where you were born socioeconomically, which means poor.
Capitalism good: You get to work your way up.
Communsim bad: You stay where you were born socioeconomically, which means poor.
Communism good: You stay where you are born socioeconomically, which means rich.
Three examples of each (keep in mind, only economically)
Capatlism bad: United States, Japan, Brazil
Capatilism good: Ukraine (ironically), Aghanistan (ironic.), Kazakhstan
Communism bad: None currently
Communism good: North Korea, Laos, Cuba
Sovet Union I think would become more Socialist, and eventually end up with a Yugoslavia-like governance.