New Delhi, July 15 -- The gap between what the world should be and what it actually is seems to widen on a daily basis. President Donald Trump's assertion of planned US control over the Strait of Hormuz might sound far-fetched at this juncture, given Iran's resistance and his yen for airborne castles, but should the US levy a fee for passage through that strait someday-a proposal Trump withdrew soon after making it-it would be yet another blow to free trade.

Since free trade is an idea backed by both theory and practice, even if the latter has always been imperfect, what's going on should worry everyone with a stake in global prosperity.

Free and open sea-lanes for ships to criss-cross have been a bedrock of the world order that today's...