This is not the only aspect of the attitude of the oil-consuming nations that is less than fair. Governments in the oil-consuming nations are fond of attributing increased fuel costs to the oil producers. In terms of what the individual consumer pays at the pumps, such attribution of blame is highly misleading.
On occasions, some of the governments of consuming nations seem to act like ruthless middlemen, pressing the producer to accept the lowest possible price and the consumer to pay the highest possible price. This may be acceptable in the souk, although even there the trader has to ensure he does not entirely alienate the producer, the consumer, or both. But in the management of oil, such behavior smacks of narrow short-term political expediency.
