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Governments sometimes release oil from strategic reserves when supplies are disrupted. How much can that measure realistically achieve, and for how long?
I’m wondering how officials decide when to release reserves, how quickly stored oil can reach the market, and whether a release can ease a shortage without simply postponing the problem. There’s also the question of replenishment: if a country draws down its stocks during one crisis, how exposed is it to another?
Does reserve policy work best as a short-term bridge, or can it meaningfully change the effects of a prolonged disruption?
