04 December 2009

GPPi holds discussion on the present and future role of OPEC

The Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi), Berlin conducted a breakfast discussion on the topic of "OPEC: Between Power and Impotence" on 4 December 2009 at Cafe Tucher in Berlin. The event also served as a book launch for a recently published book entitled “Die OPEC: Macht und Ohnmacht des Öl-Kartells” ("OPEC: Between Power and Impotence") written by Jan Martin Witte, Associate Director of the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi), Berlin and Andreas Goldthau, Associate Professor at Central European University, Budapest and GPPi Fellow. The book was released on 1 September 2009 and was published by Hanser Verlag.

In 2010, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will mark its 50th anniversary. Only few international institutions have received as much public attention as the cartel of oil-producing countries. In fact, over the years, OPEC has become almost synonymous with the age of oil. Yet, the reach and impact of OPEC has remained a much debated topic. While some observers suggest that OPEC is a powerful cartel controlling prices and outputs, others have suggested that the organization – perhaps with the exception of the early 1970s – has remained a toothless tiger, unable to leverage its potential due to the fractiousness of its membership. With resources becoming increasingly scarce in the new millennium, the public debate has shifted again. Many observers now see OPEC as a credible player again and perhaps even as a blueprint for an association of major gas producers. Yet, the reach and influence of OPEC remains far from clear.

The event discussed the question of what role OPEC will play in the 21st century as well as what influence climate change will have on the oil market, and thus on OPEC.

To order the book, please click here.

For more information, please contact Wade Hoxtell.

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