Simulated response in the style of John D. Rockefeller; he did not write this.

Cartels are brittle contrivances; they fail for want of discipline. If the Emiratis can produce and market at lower cost, let them integrate, secure long contracts, and command their own destiny—“the growth of a large business is merely a survival of the fittest.”

Nations must chart their own course; cartel discipline is a poor substitute for competition and responsibility. If the U.A.E. believes it can stand on its own feet, then do so—while keeping the Gulf secure and deterring Tehran. “This is no time to go wobbly.”