Singing the praises of an oft-slighted OPEC

  In September 2010, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) marked its 50th anniversary, but most of the world’s leading social, economic and environmental bodies did not join in the celebrations. The milestone provided what should have been a fitting backdrop for recognition of the very real accomplishments of OPEC’s past and present and the role it is likely to play in the future. The organization’s resources and policies have evolved to the point where it is now an indispensable partner on multiple levels: its determination to maintain security of supply contributes to world economic stability, its dominant position in the energy industry gives it vital influence over measures to protect the environment, and closer coordination with it could help multilateral institutions to better serve human development around the globe. Despite all that OPEC has done on these and other fronts, the organization’s contributions remain largely unheralded. The