This event focused on the recent dramatic fall in the price of oil, the motivations behind OPEC’s decision to maintain production levels, and the implications of low oil prices for shale producers, offshore drilling, and alternative energy development. The discussion further examined the effect of continued volatility in oil prices on Gulf States and other Middle East countries, and the impact of the decrease in U.S. dependence on oil imports on U.S. foreign policy and relationships with Middle East oil producers.
Chair: Ambassador Stephen Seche, Executive Vice President, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington
Vinod K. Aggarwal, Professor; Department of Political Science, Director, Berkeley APEC Study Center, UC Berkley, Non-Resident Fellow, AGSIW
Roger Diwan, Vice President, IHS Financial Services
Kate Dourian, Senior Editor, Middle East Economic Survey (MEES)
Kamel Al-Harami, Independent Oil Analyst
Jean-François Seznec, Visiting Associate Professor, Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Georgetown University
Ambassador Frank G. Wisner, International Affairs Advisor, Squire Patton Boggs; Chairman of the Board, AGSIW