<html><head></head><body><div><span data-mailaddress="johnkclark@gmail.com" data-contactname="John Clark" class="clickable"><span title="johnkclark@gmail.com">John Clark</span><span class="detail"> <johnkclark@gmail.com></span></span> , 15/1/2015 4:32 AM:<br><blockquote class="mori" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-color: blue; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><div class="mcntgmail_extra"><div class="mcntgmail_quote">On Wed, Jan 14, 2015 Kelly Anderson <<a href="mailto:kellycoinguy@gmail.com" target="_blank" title="mailto:kellycoinguy@gmail.com" class="mailto">kellycoinguy@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</div><div class="mcntgmail_quote"><br></div><div class="mcntgmail_quote"><blockquote class="mcntgmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><div class="mcntgmail_extra">> it is also POSSIBLE that they are doing so because the Obama administration wishes to put extreme pressure on Russia. </div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>The collapse of oil prices is certainly terrible news for Vladimir Putin (Boo Hoo), but when did Obama get the power to tell OPEC what to do? </div></div></div></blockquote></div><div><br></div><div>It is more a case of shared aims. If you read the commentary in The Economist, Foreign Policy and similar places, analysts point out that the Saudis are keen to undermine Iran, and the low price is hurting IS, Russia and fracking too. Obama might be happy about all of them except the last. </div><div><br></div><div>It is the usual case of partially overlapping aims. Just consider the contradictory past and present US policy visavi the Kurds. </div><div><br></div><div>Of course, the Saudis also have a succession problem that is deeply worrying. There might be a need to fill the coffers with money to buy off fractions, hence the high production. </div><br><div><blockquote class="mori" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 2px; border-left-color: blue; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"><div class="mcntgmail_extra"><div class="mcntgmail_quote"><div></div></div></div></blockquote></div><br>Anders Sandberg,
Future of Humanity Institute
Philosophy Faculty of Oxford University</body></html>