Every real county or "side" has good and bad qualities. But they can stand on different sides of historical development and trajectories due to their sociopolitical composition.

For example, every communist recognizes that the state is inherently oppressive. So why use it? They also know it is a necessary tool for the historical development against capitalism, against rule by the owner class. One should not come away with the idea that all states are always equally bad, or solely do bad things, just because we acknowledge they are inherently oppressive. A state that functions against rule by the owner class and can adopt coherent anti-imperial stances is much better than one that is premised on global domination and extraction for the owner class.

Re: this issue, consider just 2 points:

1. What has NATO actually materially engaged in? Escalations and aggressive bombing campaigns and expanding their scope to include militarizing the opposite end of the planet. The purpose of NATO is to maximally pressure its designated enemies, including nuclear powers. It's purpose is also to create the designation of enemy.

2. Compare India to China. India choseca milquetoast "socialist" but rapidly capitalist non-aligned path while China, for all its faults, continued a path where its central government retained power over the commanding heights if its economy, in directing production. India is languishing, with extreme poverty and a large (often self-hating) neofascist takeover. It cannot progress substantially because it is a lapdog for empire, it sells out its people for nothing. China, for all its faults, redirects its surpluses into things that build up its people and economy. The vast majority of every, "the world is getting better" statistic describing anything real - like poverty alleviation - is China itself. And the rest depended on Chins for development.