The Christian Science Monitor quotes Global Energy Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Brenda Shaffer on the impact of Indonesia’s readmission into OPEC:
“Indonesia is OPEC’s only member in Asia, and Jakarta’s return extends OPEC’s global coverage,” says Brenda Shaffer, a specialist on energy and foreign policy at Georgetown University, in an e-mail to the Monitor. Indonesia also straddles the Malacca Strait, a major global oil transit waterway that is likely to see increased traffic as Asian energy demand grows. Indonesia’s readmission gives OPEC more control over the transport of oil from core producers to core consumers, Ms. Shaffer notes.