Putin and the Anole Lizard

      If a male anole lizard encounters something that he perceives to be a menace or danger, he will not hesitate to prominently fluff out his throat fan, (aka a dewlap). As he does this, he may also attempt to assert his status in a couple of other ways, including head nodding and moving sideways nearer to the source of danger.What else can explain Vladimir Putin's bizarre op-ed piece in the New York Times? http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/opinion/putin-plea-for-caution-from-russia-on-syria.html?ref=opinion&_r=0
 
     Let's get this straight.  Russia is a minor world player.

George Friedman in Stratfor Global Intelligence states,

Putin is bluffing . . . Russia is merely a regional power, but mainly because its periphery is in shambles. He has tried to project a strength that that he doesn't have, and he has done it well. For him, Syria poses a problem because the United States is about to call his bluff, and he is not holding strong cards.

http://app.response.stratfor.com/e/es?s=1483&e=749033&elq=d013c47695ed431bb870ed6565d1f7c8