The most traded commodity of the 21st century, oil is an essential factor to both oil-producing and oil-importing nations’ financial stature, and consequently it remains intrinsically linked to politics. Yet who said politicians take advantage of their position and play the “oil card” for private ends? And since when are people in the oil sector immune to venal and self-serving endeavors? Thus, in the current period of transition towards a higher oil price environment, after a massive depression turned bankrupt many high-risk companies and thwarted exploration activities in many oil-producing regions all over the earth, it is increasingly important to watch out for oil-related hoaxes. The oil industry is still susceptible to the belief that a sudden sweeping change might change the way we produce or refine oil. The French oil sniffer hoax happened 40 years ago, yet it still bears many implications for our time. It would be […]