The consequences of the recent war in Iraq on the petrol market reflect both the United States’ concern to re-establish political stability in a country that is an important petrol reserve for their future furnishing and the expression of rivalry between Russia and the United States for the control of that region. Iraq is a chief piece of the Western “petrol water castle”. It is also a key argument of the confrontation between Russia and the United States for the control and the valorisation of hydrocarbons in the region. The European Union only plays a modest part on this question. – Summary AFRI-2004