No, I don't think the U.S. would try to kill Putin with a nuclear tipped hypersonic missile. I explain why in my latest story: https://medium.com/@maxrottersman/why-nations-dont-assassinate-each-other-s-leaders-8517e87fa65e

In my opinion, war is 95% political. It isn't about maximum force exerted by both sides. Even if the U.S. wanted to take out Putin it has to factor in what that would mean with its relationships to everyone else. What would China do? Or Europe? What would the U.S. have to do afterwards?

Remember, in the beginning Biden expected Russia would take Ukraine. Was he lying? Has this always been the plan? I have no idea.

The Israeli war against Hamas and Hezbollah isn't a real war because 1) they aren't sovereign nations 2) they have few friends. For other reasons I believe Israel has dug its grave with its un-proportional response. But geopolitically, no one really gives a shit what happens to Arabs--neither the West nor Asia. They're just Bedouins camping over our oil fields ;)

Russia is a different story. I know I say they make nothing we want, but that's in comparison to the West. Compared to Hamas and Hezbollah they have real and important relationships all over the world--even if those relationships are for oil or weapons.

I point out multiple times China buys Russian oil and we continue to buy what it produces in China. Russian oil indirectly build much of what we put int our industry (including defense) and Asia.

Push comes to shove, that stuff is more important than Ukraine's sovereignty. However, if Ukraine can keep them out the West will help them all they can.

But the West really doesn't care who runs Russia. As long as they're weak. So why take out Putin? It creates too many complications with everyone's relationships with each other. China would be miffed at cut off oil supplies. What would they do then? That's why the U.S. doesn't want long range attacks. They don't want Ukraine disrupting oil to Asia and others.

All this is stuff I've only realized in the past few years. Before that, I was naive. I believed the West would do whatever it could to remove Putin. I believe it can. But it doesn't want to, I believe, for the logic I just gave.

The big question for me is that these wars creating huge inflationary pressures, everywhere, not just Russia. What will it lead to?