US/Canada is a net oil exporter now, so their power is pretty limited in an embargo style situation. Also, unlike the 1970s Saudi now has a much larger and rid

US/Canada is a net oil exporter now, so their power is pretty limited in an embargo style situation. Also, unlike the 1970s Saudi now has a much larger and ridiculously fast growing population - growing anywhere between 2 and 6% per annum since the 1980s. There is an enormous welfare state with very few taxes collected (on the basis the oil wealth pays for everything), but with a population growing so fast it is stretching the budget. This means KSAs power to hold prices low actually probably hurts them more than the US now - the social contract in KSA is that the government looks after you, and if you suddenly stop getting healthcare/housing etc because of a OPEC/US oil, it will start destabilising the country which obviously the royal family as terrified of.