Whenever OPEC decides to cut production to stabilize prices,
Western analysts call it a “cartel manipulation.” Yet when American shale oil
producers flood the market with excess supply, driving prices down, the same
pundits celebrate it as a “victory of the free market.” The contradiction is so
striking that even economists find themselves wondering — where does the real
crisis lie: in the market or in the Western conscience?
If Russia sells oil to sustain its economy, it’s branded a
“war economy.” But when the United States sells off its strategic reserves to
reduce its fiscal deficit, it’s hailed as an act of “economic wisdom.” The
truth is, every drop in oil prices hurts not the ordinary consumer — who might
finally breathe easier at the pump — but the investors whose profits are tied
to every dollar movement in Brent crude.
To the Western media, oil is no longer just fuel; it’s a
narrative weapon — used to control markets, moods, and minds. When oil is
expensive, the threat comes from Russia or OPEC; when it’s cheap, the “global
economy” is suddenly in peril. The rest of the world can only watch, amused, as
the same newsrooms that cheer for capitalism begin to mourn when the market
actually behaves like one.
Perhaps one day, crude prices will drop — and Western media
won’t start wailing. But until then, every fall in oil prices will sound like a
siren in newsroom.
