New Delhi, Aug. 30 -- Of course, there was a flicker of hope that good sense would prevail-that the Donald Trump-led US administration would desist from imposing an additional 25% tariff on India for buying discounted oil from Russia, over and above the 25% already levied on Indian exports for valuing its farmers' interests.

Alas, in a Trumpian world, good sense is a scarce commodity-where the will of one man alone prevails.

Millennials may recall from history books that India and the US were often at loggerheads during the Cold War. Today's US rhetoric carries an echo of that era when spats and sharp exchanges were commonplace, reflected in the shrill statements of White House trade adviser Peter Navarro and treasury secretary Scott Be...