UPSC Key: AI in diplomacy, OPEC and Digital Arrest
Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. Key Points to Ponder: • Why is the UAE leaving OPEC and OPEC+? • What does the UAE move mean? • What is the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)? • What is the difference between OPEC and OPEC+? • What does OPEC and OPEC+ do? • How does OPEC+ influence global oil prices and geopolitics? • UAE to exit OPEC+ and OPEC—What could this mean for oil prices? • How much oil do OPEC and OPEC+ countries produce? • Why OPEC is also called as a ‘cartel’? • Have other countries left OPEC? • Which countries are in OPEC and OPEC+? • Map Work– OPEC and OPEC+ countries • OPEC+ and India-Connect the dots Key Takeaways: • Despite the announcement, oil prices surged over 3 per cent as the primary driver remained supply disruption caused by the largely closed Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy flows, news agency Reuters reported.Story continues below this ad • However, prices pared some gains after the UAE move, suggesting traders viewed the exit as a factor that could influence future supply management. The UAE’s decision sparks uncertainty over how oil production will be coordinated globally, at a time when markets are already under stress from geopolitical tensions and disrupted shipping. • The market is effectively balancing two competing forces – immediate supply tightness due to the Iran conflict and longer-term uncertainty stemming from cracks within the producer alliance. • JORGE LEON, ANALYST AT RYSTAD says “The UAE withdrawal marks a significant shift for OPEC. Alongside Saudi Arabia, it is one of the few members with meaningful spare capacity – the mechanism through which the group exerts market influence.” • AJAY PARMAR, DIRECTOR OF ENERGY AND REFINING AT ICIS: “The UAE has been in disagreement with the general OPEC policy for quite some time. So it’s not a surprise, but it will certainly have a significant impact in the long term. It also signifies the general drift in the historically strong alliance between the UAE and Saudi Arabia.” Do You Know:Story continues below this ad • The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, also known as OPEC, was formed in 1960 by Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. The organization has since expanded to 13 members. OPEC regularly meets to set oil production targets and coordinate output to help manage global oil prices for the entire group. In 2016, largely in response to dramatically falling oil prices driven by significant increases in U.S. shale oil output, OPEC signed an agreement with 10 other oil-producing countries to create what is now known as OPEC+. Among these 10 countries was the world’s third-largest oil producer in 2022, Russia, which produced 13% of the world total (10.3 million barrels per day [b/d]). Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍 What is OPEC+ and why have they slashed oil production? Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
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