By Rodney Ross (Special To The Carolinian) The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent, intergovernmental Organization, created at the Baghdad Conference on September 10-14, 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Since inception, additional Arab countries such as Libya, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Nigeria,and non Arab countries such as Gabon; Equatorial Guinea , and Congo have joined OPEC. The United States has had various