HC....I find your submission there is good reason to allow different standards in different locations around the World.
To the point most Days one can get by without Exposure Suits in the Gulf of Mexico or that one does not have to haul Fish in the baggage compartment on the North Sea.....I will agree with you on those kinds of issues.
However, when it comes to serious matters....Aircraft Performance, Survival Training, Simulator Training, Emergency Flotation, Engineering Practices, Flight Following, SAR.....I would suggest the Industry adopt an Industry Best Practices model and stick to it no matter where the Aircraft are being operated.
Just because one finds himself in Nigeria or Ghana....or Venezuela or any other place that does not require the same standards of safety....then the Operators and Oil Companies should import the higher standards.
It isn't about costs or sophistication....it is all about human lives.
Right now we sell ourselves too cheaply in that regard.