When is it going to happen?

The good thing is that Trump has at last introduced an element of doubt in the big question of the week: when will the US and others attack Syria for the appalling chemical strike on civilians in Douma. Everyone expected an instant Tomahawk/air strike thunderclap within hours of Trump promising that the missiles were coming. The Syrians scampered like frightened bunnies and removed everything they could lay their hands on at the potentially vulnerable bases and put them under the safe-keeping of the Russians at their base in Latakia province. But then all the doubts began to rage, and Trump, far from pressing the button for immediate action, started rowing back and talked of sometime-maybe-just-wait-and-see etc. At least now the Syrians and Russians don't know what to expect or when. So the element of surprise, or sort-of surprise has been returned to the war scenario. Surprise, as every general will tell you, is key to success in battle. However, in some respects it would have been better for Trump to have done what he did the last time he got angry over a chemical attack in Syria - a year ago. Then he just pressed the button almost straightaway, and 59 Tomahawks were winging their way to a Syrian airbase before you could say "Hey, wait a minute" It was all over so quickly there was no talk of a third world war. The Russians cancelled the agreement under which the Pentagon and Russian ministry of defence talked to each to avoid any conflict between them while flying jet fighters in Syrian airspace every day. But it wasn't long before the hotline was reopened and all was well again. This time there has been such a hoohah and such increasingly belligerent rhetoric from both the White House and the Kremlin that the potential consequences of a real fight in Syria - a big powers fight - are beginning to look on the cards. There WILL be an attack of some sort. Jim Mattis, the US defence secretary, effectively said so when he stated that the chemical raid HAD to be punished for the sake of the future of the world. But if only it had already happened.