"Strong Man"

To be a "Strong Man" is to be a weak man striking a pose. Gaddafi seemed to understand this, much good it did him, along with many other notable occupants of the Hall of Infamy. 

Putin is said to be much afraid of a tumultuous third act like the erstwhile Libyan leader's, but has nevertheless fallen into another trap that always seems to sucker the weak-strong man, and which makes the undesired outcome that much more likely — anticipating a conspicuous weakness in his self-selected foes that bolsters his own delusion of relative strength beyond the point at which the instinct of self-preservation can be of much use.