The UAE Leaves OPEC

The global petro-dollar economy created in 1973 experiences disruptive change and volatility.

A. The UAE has decided to leave the OPEC oil cartel. This is significant: it signals likely short-term volatility and readjustment in Middle East oil supplies. More broadly, the petro-dollar economy that emerged after the OPEC oil crisis in 1973 is transitioning as part of on-going fragmentation of the global world order.

B. Brittany Higgins has spoken out in order to protect the counselling records of victim-survivors. This is really significant as any disclosure of medical records or confidential / personal / sensitive information to third parties can mean that this unauthorised disclosure can lead to targeted, weaponised disinformation as part of a DARVO playbook.

C. Wars often lead strategic actors and leadership involved in other conflicts to re-evaluate their decision sets and their strategic repertoires. Oliver Schmitt’s new book Preparing For War: Strategy, Power and Military Change (London: Hurst Publishers, 2026) also addresses varied aspects of this.

D. Today’s MIT OCW free course is Libertarianism in History created by Professor Malick W. Ghachem.

E. Michael Mandelbaum on how to build an American foreign policy.