New Delhi, March 11 -- At the first cabinet meeting of his second term in office, US President Donald Trump declared his intention to impose a sweeping 25% tariff on all imports from the European Union. But before opening a European front in his trade war, Trump might want to consider the continent's economic malaise: the German economy has been experiencing a prolonged downturn, while Italy and France are struggling with serious public-debt problems.

Maybe then Trump will grasp that his tariff actions, which constitute a significant part of his 'America First' agenda, risk triggering a Europe-wide recession and another eurozone debt crisis.

Some might argue that Trump has no interest in the fate of Europe or any country on the other si...