In the wake of the September 11th attack and the Iraq war, Nigeria's geopolitical significance to the U.S. has come into sharper relief. In March and April 2003, militancy across the Niger Delta radically disrupted oil production in this major oil supplier nation. News of these actions, following conflict-ridden national elections, has reinforced the notion that Nigeria and the new West African "gulf states" in general are matters of U.S. national security. This commentary takes issue with a May 2003 analysis of the situation by an influential Washington think tank, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). The critique argues that the CSIS ignores the role of some key actors, the oil companies foremost among them.