Nigeria-US Relations: A Conceptual Exploration

Abstract

This paper provides the background as well as critical insights into the issue of asymmetry between the United States of America and Nigeria.  The two countries are not in any way of equal capabilities and endowments.  The United States is a global player in terms of politics and economy while Nigeria is still contending with being a regional actor.  There is no doubt therefore that in relations like these, the principal partner with overwhelming influence, may want to subordinate the partner with weak political and economic structures to a client state.  But the issue is not as simple as it seems. There are complex dimensions to it: the extent of advantage is difficult to determine because so many variables are involved.  The advantage may not be an wholesale affair since the weak partner, in this case, Nigeria, may lack the political power to wield, but certainly has the economic influence to exploit.  The United States finds its oil irresistible because of its quality and because the US is a major energy consumer which cannot ignore the fifth largest oil producer in the world.  It is therefore imperative to understand how both countries play up their advantages as they relate to political and economic actions.  The truth is that they both need each other one way or the other.  How this relationship is managed is crucial to our understanding of the dynamics of asymmetry.