Oil, as a natural resource and a commodity, can be identified as a contributor to war. In the Gulf and Iraq Wars, oil and its flow to other countries were factors considered by Iraq and the other countries involved in the conflict. Although political changes, economic sanctions, and war created instability in Iraq's oil production, its production could still affect future oil trends. According to senior British Army official in Iraq James Ellery, "Iraq holds the key to stability in the region, due to its relatively large, consuming population," possessing "the second-largest reserve of oil – under-exploited", and its geostrategic location "on the routes between Asia, Europe, Arabia and North Africa ... the Silk Road."