Without Russia, OPEC would be nothing more than a toothless tiger. The international oil cartel that determined the price of oil around the world for decades via its production policy now only includes one of the world’s top three producers of the energy commodity among its ranks. While Russia has cooperated with OPEC and the cartel moved to strengthen its ties at the most recent meeting, the world’s leading producer considers the cartel a criminal organization that operates outside of the law. Price fixing is a violation of antitrust statutes, and the US Congress is