Not that we should have the contracts and control a country like that, but I'd like to think there could have been a win/win. Would have been nice to have a friendly and supported Iraq, on its way to healing some, at the end of the day.

Overall, a failure of US leadership on all fronts. Any positive results may have just been a bridge too far in the minds of politicians and rallying the public just not worth it for them. Silly.

Maybe the Uyghurs broke the law of “don’t be a Uyghur” and the US prisoners all jaywalked.

I suspect "don't be Uyghur" in China is equivalent to "driving while Black" in the US.

I can't believe I'm wading into a "who's worse" thing on the internet,

China. China is way worse. It's not even a fair comparison.

China has a near 99% conviction rate of all "trials". People get disappeared all the time at an alarming rate. Criticizing the government is illegal and silenced immediately. Buying a woman (trafficking) is punishable by three years in prison. Importing an invasive species of plant is punishable by 7 years in prison. Buying/owning an airsoft rifle can land you life in prison.

They are currently violating the maritime borders of many countries, to the point where they are deploying nets as a way to "claim" the waters well beyond what they're entitled to by international law.

During covid they welded shut the entrance to buildings to forcibly keep people inside. And many of those people died from starvation or being ill and not receiving care. Then there were those buildings that caught fire and the occupants couldn't get out.

Then again during covid it was mandated that "foreigners" were not allowed into grocery stores, restaurants, hospitals, etc. And it didn't matter if you lived their for decades, or your whole life, of you weren't Han Chinese you're a foreigner. Some people even had signs up that said "blacks are not allowed inside".

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-stay-away-from-here-in-china-foreigners-have-become-a-target-for/

And this isn't the people's fault. They're working off of information and mandates given to them by their government. A government that has a death grip on all communication in the country.

And this doesn't even get into the allegations of organ harvesting of the Uyghurs (and others). And yes, "only allegations" because that kind of thing would be done in very dark and secure basements. Although there are first hand accounts of people who witnessed such things who managed to get out, it's anecdotal but there are more than one account.

Edit: just to add. I'm not American, and don't live in the US. I think that country is terribly broken in many, many ways. I would never want to ever live there, but I would choose the US in a heartbeat if it was down to that place or China.

The chinese dictatorship is worse

https://feddit.uk/comment/5127995

Like I said, it's a good idea to read the comments.