The global community is seemingly heading towards a Third World War, eight decades after the Second World War (1939-45). In the 20th Century, the Nazi Germany had triggered a devastating global conflict, pitting the Allied Powers (led by the UK, the US, the erstwhile Soviet Union and China) against the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy and Japan) in a total war that involved nearly every nation and resulted in unprecedented casualties. This time, a major conflict might centre on the US, Europe and Russia. However, it is highly unlikely that China would be merely a spectator.

US President Donald John Trump has created such a scenario by announcing that he would impose 10-15% tariffs on goods from eight European countries, including Germany and the UK, for opposing his plan to acquire Greenland. A day after President Trump made the announcement, French President Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron urged the European Union (EU) on January 18, 2026 to activate Trade Bazooka (officially known as the Anti-Coercion Instrument or ACI), the powerful anti-coercion instrument of the 27-member bloc, on behalf of Paris, if the US went ahead with imposing tariffs on European countries. The EU has never used Trade Bazooka, which allows the bloc to curb imports of goods and services or restrict access to its single market in response to economic coercion.

If deployed, the Trade Bazooka could include retaliatory tariffs on up to EUR 93 billion (USD 108 billion) of US goods. Beyond tariffs, the EU could also use this tool to restrict the access of US companies to the European single market, limit their ability to bid on public contracts and impose export controls.

On July 27, 2025, Brussels and Washington DC had reached a trade agreement which clearly stated that Europe would open up its market for US products. As per the accord, no tariffs would be levied on US products in all the 27 EU countries, while President Trump would impose a maximum tariff of 15% on European goods. Although the EU and the US reached an understanding on this matter, the final agreement has not yet been approved (by the European bloc). After the US President hinted that he would impose 10% tariffs on European products, Manfred Weber, the President of the European Parliament (EP), stressed: “The EPP is in favour of the EU-US trade deal, but given Donald Trump’s threats regarding Greenland, approval is not possible at this stage. The zero percent tariffs on US products must be put on hold.“

As mentioned earlier, President Trump announced 10% tariffs on products from Britain, France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Finland and the Netherlands, effective from February 1, 2026, to pressure them to support a US purchase of Greenland. He also threatened to raise the tariffs to 25%, if no deal is reached by June 1, sparking global condemnation. The US President made it clear that the tariffs would remain in place until a deal for Greenland’s purchase is finalised.

Political analysts are of the opinion that the ongoing tariff war between the US and the EU may trigger a global conflict in the near future. The US had joined hands with Europe and the erstwhile Soviet Union against the Axis Powers during the Second World War. In the first quarter of the 21st Century, Europe and the US started maintaining a distance (especially during the Presidency of Donald Trump). It seems that Europe has made a mistake by not opposing the US’ Operation Absolute Resolve against Venezuela on January 3, 2026 and attack on the Iranian nuclear facilities in 2025 . In fact, the military strike on Venezuela and the kidnapping of incumbent Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (and his wife Cilia Flores) have encouraged Washington DC to flex muscles. Now, it has become quite difficult for Europe to stop President Trump from acquiring Greenland and to criticise Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin for his actions against Ukraine.

Interestingly, former British Prime Minister Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill wanted to provoke a war between the Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. However, Adolf Hitler‘s aggressive policies prompted him to make an anti-Nazi alliance with the Soviet. Once, Ivan Maisky, the influential Soviet Ambassador to Britain from 1932 to 1943, reportedly asked Churchill if, in a war with Germany, “the USSR would automatically become an ally of England”. The ambassador recorded: “Churchill reddened, his eyes became bloodshot, and he cried with fury in his voice: ‘To crush Germany I am prepared to enter into an alliance with anyone, even the devil!’” (Source: Churchill and the Clash of Tyrants)

Although there is no Hitler, Churchill or Stalin in the 21st Century, the global community has seen the emergence of autocratic leaders and a major shift in the nature of political power. Authoritarian leaders, like Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, are quite capable of triggering a World War in the 21st Century. Their imperialist attitude and aggressive foreign policies could not only create troubles for Asia, Africa and Latin America, but also for Europe. A weakened Europe has backed the imperialist US for a long time. Perhaps, it has to pay a heavy price for creating a Frankenstein.

It remains to be seen how the devil will be eliminated and by whom.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das