By J. Peter Freire on 1.14.08 @ 3:25PM
Gas prices jump. The middle eastern oil cartel refuses to
release more barrels. You'd think that
sounds like price-fixing but thanks to the clarity of a very thoughtful spokesman for OPEC, we
can get our terms straight:
"OPEC are only oil producers, they
are not fixing prices. They can't control the market forces,"
Qatari Energy Minister Abdullah al-Attiyah told reporters in Doha
today. "They can't control the geopolitics. They can't control the
speculation."
Technically, that's true. They're not fixing prices. They're
keeping them broken. Of course they
could
control the geopolitics if they bothered trying, but then, why
should regional powers demand Iran give up its nukes?
Oh you rascally "market forces" you. (Thanks to my brother for
pointing this one out.)
topics:
Iran, Energy, Oil