How important is the conflict in Iraq in the geopolitics of energy? “conflict resolution and international cooperation will be key to confronting the strategic challenges of our future energy needs” – an expert says “keeping America competitive requires affordable energy” George Bush “one of the arguments about this being a war for other countries to control Iraq's oil is simply not the case. “ – Gordon Brown Jodie McGregor, Sarah Ihsan, and Sophina Mahmood

Introduction The middle east has most of the worlds oil reserves, making it politically important The vast amounts of energy resources create the “backbone” of the worlds economies mainly in the west So for previous and current super powers such as America, UK and France, involvement and influence in the middle eastern region has been crucial Burning of the oil fields after the Gulf War by Saddam Hussein has proved to be a major issue, environmentally and economically.

Conflict Prior to the discovery of oil, the region had been a hotbed for religious conflict, and wars over other rich resources and arable land. The interests that the West had was been due to the energy and resource interests. Terrorism remains a significant threat to oil facilities in the middle eastern region including Iraq There have been discussions as to whether the conflict in Iraq is about terrorism or actually about their oil reserves.

“Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy” George Bush Issues With energy security is becoming more of a concern over recent years due to limited supply, rising costs and uneven distribution of energy, leading to a rivalry between nations The USA is becoming “addicted to oil” with energy hungry cars etc. (7,778kg of oil equivalent per capita - 2006 ) Distribution of energy in Iraq may become more uneven due to the conflict. As more countries develop, the need for energy and oil will increase which will lead to further conflict over energy. Burning the oil fields in Iraq

America’s interest in the Middle East grew exponentially after World War II because of oil. The Middle East was serving as a pipeline for British and French empires prior to the war, but the U.S. quickly came to dominate the petroleum resources of the region. By 1944 American corporations controlled over 40% of Middle East oil reserves By 1955 U.S. companies were producing over 50% of oil from the region, and providing Europe with over 90 percent of its oil imports. Conflict in Iraq

Global oil distribution map – you can see that the Middle East has more than half of the world’s oil reserves, which is why it is in such high demand

Burning of oil fields in Iraq Saddam Hussein, Eco-Criminal: Saddam Hussein's committed his most notorious ecological crimes in the midst of his defeat in the first Gulf War As Iraqi forces fled Kuwait, they lit some 600 oil wells aflame. Iraq's military deliberately spilled several million barrels of oil into the Persian Gulf and over 50 million barrels more on land.

Why is this happening? Saddam Hussein’s tyrannical regime was starting to crumble and so to prevent US military taking over oil reserves, he ordered Iraqi soldiers to set oil wells on fire Hussein’s last defiant gesture at the end of the Gulf War was to order his soldiers to place explosive charges on every oil well they could reach in Kuwait, his attitude was: “If I can’t have it, neither can you.” The situation was the same in Iraq (in Basra) but mainly was happening in Kuwait.

Many oil fields were also blown up in Basra by Saddam Hussein’s orders. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFMCKgnjoRo&feature=related

Effects The oil-well fires billowed smoke for months, spreading soot, oil mists, and deposition for hundreds of miles in all directions, contaminating air, water, and soil. Links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djk1iz7EgU0&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flksc4kdNnU

Summary The demand for oil across the world is increasing as countries develop further and consumption rises. America may feel under threat as there is still conflict between them and one of its major oil suppliers Although, Canada and Mexico are USA’s main oil suppliers, Saudi Arabia and Iraq still supply a significant amount of oil. Graph showing USA’s oil imports Map of oil pipelines in Iraq

An expert says… “It is in the vital interest of importing and exporting countries alike that our energy future be based on partnership, not conflict. We cannot allow the Middle East, already home to tragic violence, to become the scene of great power confrontation over energy. In this respect, I for one, would urge serious engagement dialogue and strategic cooperation between the United States and China on key Middle East issues and policy.”

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