When the UAE announced on April 28th that it was leaving OPEC, effective May 1st, the immediate market reaction was muted. And that, paradoxically, is what makes the decision so significant. This was not a panic move. It was a long-prepared strategic exit, pulled forward by a war that made
There is a before and an after. Geopolitics rarely offers such clean lines, but the beginning of 2026 has drawn one in ink that will not wash out. The Middle East that existed before Iran mined the Strait of Hormuz is gone. What has replaced it is something older, rawer,
There is a before and an after. Geopolitics rarely offers such clean lines, but the beginning of 2026 has drawn one in ink that will not wash out. The Middle East that existed before Iran mined the Strait of Hormuz is gone. What has replaced it is something older, rawer,