I always saw it that way, away from all the global politics and bullshit, "for science". Imagine if this turned into circus auction to lure Musk or Bezos to buy the damn thing instead..
Neither Musk nor Bezos would ever want to buy it, and almost certainty nobody else would either.
And if you think Musk or Bezos could make it more of circus then it already is, you have not been paying attention. The ISS storyline over the last couple years is closer to Tom Clancy novel then a science project.