A militant group in Nigeria has requested that President Bush become involved in the dispute between the Nigerian government and militants in the oil producing area of Nigeria on the grounds that the US is the primary customer of Nigerian oil. What does this say about the way in which trade is currently viewed in the overall geo-political context? Is the US' status as the primary consumer of Nigerian oil a legitimate reason for involvement in the dispute? Would the answer to this question change if a commodity other than oil was involved? See http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7250539.stm