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I did read it. I follow foreign policy pretty closely, but I was a little sure of what to do with a major world leader taking out an op-ed in the nation's biggest newspaper.

I agree with some of what he said, but I'm not sure of his motives. If he were so concerned about the Syrian people, peace, etc, then why is Russia insisting that anything that goes before the UN be non-binding? And why is he making such a big deal in the letter that Russia was given the veto by the US? I applaud his idea, and I think it's a good one. But my concern is that he doesn't want it to have any teeth.

This sentence also bothers me: "Syria is not witnessing a battle for democracy, but an armed conflict between government and opposition in a multireligious country." What's happening in Syria is pretty much a civil war. And I agree that regional militants are taking advantage, which is what makes it so difficult. But I find it hard to take his opinions on what is going on without a grain of salt, because Russia has a pretty poor track record of tolerating any opposition in recent years. The leader of Russia cannot, for his own self interest, seem to support rebels in another country. There's too much risk of it leading to trouble at home.

So yeah. If Putin's ideas work, great. I'm willing to hear him out. And I don't think that bombing Syria is necessarily the right thing to do. But a slap on the wrist isn't good enough, either.