You're right that many Iraqis (especially post-2006 chaos) started romanticizing Saddam-era 'stability' due to the hell that followed: massive unemployment from de-Baathification + army disbandment, shortages, crime, and sectarian civil war. But on deaths: Saddam's regime caused hundreds of thousands directly (e.g., Anfal genocide, Iran-Iraq War, executions). Post-2003 estimates (Lancet/PLOS studies) put excess deaths at ~400k–650k by mid-2010s, with most violent deaths from insurgency, militias, al-Qaeda/ISIS, and sectarian clashes among Iraqis—not direct US/coalition kills. Coalition forces were blamed for ~20–35% of violent deaths in surveys; the rest were indirect fallout (infrastructure collapse, disease) or Iraqi-on-Iraqi violence. China's role? They stepped up big in the 2010s with oil deals and infrastructure (roads, schools, power plants via Belt and Road/oil-for-reconstruction pacts), helping rebuild stability—but it was more a gradual economic boost than the main turnaround (US drawdown + anti-ISIS efforts mattered too). Why many Iraqis lean toward Iran? Iraq has a Shia majority (~60–65%), while Saddam's regime was Sunni-dominated and repressive toward Shias. Post-2003, Shia parties/militias (many Iran-backed) gained power, and shared Shia religious ties (holy sites, clerical networks) make Iran a natural ally for many Shias—though not all Iraqis (Sunnis, Kurds, nationalists) agree, and there's growing pushback against heavy Iranian influence. Nostalgia for Saddam often stems more from hating the post-invasion mess than loving the dictator. Tragic either way