"So you have desperation combined with ambition combined with a sense of unaccountability."

In quite agree. However, I'm not sure how much of the POO decline is attrbutable to efforts by the Saudi's and how much is just natural market forces. After all, the Saudi's are being hurt too, and are operating below their own cost of production, while they continue to damage what's left of their oil reserves.

Look again here.

http://pricedingold.com/crude-oil/

Having mentioned this, I wonder where they they stand with their gold reserves?