text: oil prices just hit $72/bbl. if oil prices exceed $90/bbl, do you think the us, prc, & russia invade opec nts? our economy is in dire staits despite what the pundits say. the us' current account deficit is about half a trillion dollars. we borrow millions everyday from saudi arabia, china (prc), et al. if oil continues to increase at its present rate (a 250% increase since 2002), our economy will soon come to a halt. because of our global economy what affects the us will have ramifications in other nations as well. however, because of the situation in iraq and now, iran the question of global stabilty is of immediate concern. the price probably won't get that high.  1) eventually iraq's oil infrastructure will be up and running, which will cushion the market.  2) demand has to level off eventually. there just isn't enough capital to sustain prices even where they are now. people will have to find ways to conserve/alternate energy. that will mean prices level off.  3) the big dogs like us, prc, and russia have enough soft power to lean on opec nations to increase production. they don't have to invade, they just have to threaten them with embargos and the like.  even if those three things don't do the trick, invasion won't actually help much. it's cheaper to pay the saudi royal family a cut off the top than to subdue a bunch of very irritated arabs wish kalashnikovs and plastic explosive.