A critique of “OPEC” – The websiteOPEC stands for “Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries” and includes the world's largest oil-producing nations. Through OPEC, these member countries work together to control the price and availability of oil, one of the most important commodities in today's world economy. Founded in September 1960 with headquarters in Vienna, the OPEC organization currently includes twelve member countries (History of OPEC, 1). OPEC's mission is defined in a formal organizational statute which identifies its role "to coordinate and unify the oil policies of its member countries and ensure the stabilization of oil markets in order to ensure an efficient, economical and regular supply of oil to consumers , a constant income for producers and a fair return on capital for those who invest in the oil industry” (Our mission). The OPEC website (OPEC.org) is designed to provide information to the general public about the function of the organization, the benefits the organization offers, and its achievements. Through highlighted material and carefully selected topics on its website, the OPEC organization strives to convey the appearance of a supportive and impartial charitable organization focused on improving the global economy through the principles of supply and demand . OPEC's website contains numerous resources that help explain the current state of oil production and how it impacts the global economy, but does not delve into potential price-fixing collapses and the impact that the "cartelization" of the oil has historically caused on the global economy. the world economy. The OPEC organization has long been criticized for the influence it exerts on......middle of paper......OPEC - not as powerful as one might think. The Christian Science Monitor, p. 9. Retrieved March 31, 2011, from ProQuest National Newspapers Core. (Document ID: 1439101391).Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. (n.d.). OPEC site map. Retrieved from http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/34.htm.Rousseau, D. (1998). History of OPEC. Retrieved August 22, 2001, from http://www.ssc.upenn.edu/polisci/psci260/OPECweb/OPECHIST.HTMStevens, P. (2005). Oil markets. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 21(1)19-42.UC Berkeley – Teaching Library Internet Workshop. (2010). Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply and Questions to Ask. In Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial. Retrieved from http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html.Wikipedia. (2011). Stagflation. Retrieved March 31, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagflation.