All of this has since changed. OPEC now produces only about 40 percent of the world’s oil, and the days when it could dictate global oil prices are over. The U.S. is one of the key reasons: It has surpassed Saudi Arabia in both recoverable oil reserves and total hydrocarbon production, and U.S. shale production has put a ceiling on the price of oil. In addition, the U.S. has become a significant oil exporter, increasing exports by a factor of 20 in the past four years, which means the U.S. has gone from major consumer of Saudi oil to competitor practically overnight. In 1977, the U.S. imported 1.38 million barrels of oil per day from Saudi Arabia. In 2012, that figure had not changed much – just under 1.37 million bpd. Since then, U.S. oil imports from Saudi Arabia have fallen by 30 percent to 949,000 bpd.

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