From the Archives: Baghdad and Beirut
Our look into Petroleum Economist's archives continues with October 1960 coverage of another key moment in the history of oil and gas: the founding of OPEC
The Arab League’s second oil conference being held at Beirut this month will be dominated by the recent agreement at Baghdad between leading oil exporting countries to set up OPEC with a view to consulting together on important matters affecting their oil interests and to bringing about stability in crude oil prices. Some of the considerations which arise are outlined below. As well as providing a forum for discussing many aspects of the international oil industry, the wide-ranging talks at Beirut should bring much enlightenment about this significant new development. The evolving relationships between the international oil companies and the governments of the main countries in which they pr
Also in this section
15 April 2026
The continent is seeing political pushback to climate plans, corporate reassessment of transition goals and rising supply risk in a fractured global order
15 April 2026
The Middle East energy crisis may turn out to be pivotal to the industry’s long-term expansion, but significant challenges still stand in its way
15 April 2026
The country plays a vital role in connecting Asia to Europe, but the expiration of Russian contracts and the ramifications of the war in Iran are placing it under pressure
14 April 2026
The GECF has warned it may revise its projections for demand this year downwards in light of conflict in the Middle East, although it maintains its forecasts for 2027 and onwards






