This is not only because of the intrinsic pressures on supply but also because OPEC has learned from the price increases since 2004 that the world can absorb higher energy prices relatively easily. In the economic interests of its members, therefore, OPEC manages oil supply to minimize any incipient price weakness. They use their growing prominence in the world to influence international policies, particularly when it comes to matters they insist are internal, such as human rights and democratic governance. Nations which have hammered out “favourable” deals with oil-producing nations do not want to rock the energy boat they have just managed to board, resulting in a world in which international relations are mainly a race to ensure continuing prosperity, not the building of a more sustainable international community. Developing nations scramble to procure the energy necessary to climb the economic ladder, while wealthy nations struggle to adapt their energy consumption patterns to maintain their existing lifestyles.