We protect the countries of the Middle East, they would not be safe for very long without us, and yet they continue to push for higher and higher oil prices! We will remember. The OPEC monopoly must get prices down now! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 20, 2018 OPEC does have a meeting in the coming days in Algiers to assess the state of the oil market, and decide on next steps. But one of the largest near-term challenges for OPEC is balancing the oil market in the wake of lost barrels from Iran – a key factor driving up prices and also a fact that seems to be lost on the American President. There are no clear solutions for OPEC+ that leave the oil market satisfied while also maintaining group cohesion. The obvious course of action is to allow for higher production levels. But there is no […]