428 • 21 THE WAR ON TERRORISMYemen has traditionally had awkward relations with Saudi Arabia,
partly because most Yemeni people and their leaders are Shi'i. More im¬
portantly, Yemen is the poorest state in the Arab world, has few known re¬
sources, and has long depended on Saudi Arabia for the employment of its
workers and for economic aid. The union of the Yemen Arab Republic
(North Yemen) with the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South
Yemen) has lasted since 1990, weathering a civil war in 1994. Recent oil
discoveries aided Yemen's economy during the 1990s, but development
has been offset by rapid population growth, competition with other oil ex¬
porters, and stringent economic policies implemented by the government
on advice from the International Monetary Fund. Elections for president
and a representative assembly were held in 1997, and Yemen is sometimes
cited along with Jordan as an Arab state that has progressed toward de¬
mocracy. Terrorists attacked Yemeni socialists in 1992, foreign tourists in
1998, and a US naval destroyer in Aden's harbor in 2000. The country is
not, therefore, regarded as stable or free from terrorism.
All of the other Gulf states are members of the Gulf Cooperation Coun¬
cil and are major oil producers. Oman is a country with a high per-capita
income, a small population, no current disputes with its neighbors, and no
terrorist threats. It remains a monarchy with an appointed cabinet and sen¬
ate, along with a lower house elected by about a quarter of Oman's adult
population. Many of the country's residents came from India and Pakistan,
and its historic ties have been more eastward and southward (across the
Arabian Sea) than westward (across the desert). The United Arab Emirates
is a federation of seven Gulf principalities with abundant petroleum and
natural gas revenues, which give the country substantial political influence
among the other Arab states. Its native-born (or "Emirati") citizens make
up less than 25 percent of the country's population. The king appoints the
prime minister and the cabinet, and the constituent emirates have a Federal
State Council (also appointed). Though popular participation in govern¬
ment is negligible, no terrorist threat currently exists. The aged king died in
October 2004, and his son quietly succeeded him.
Qatar, a peninsula on the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula, enjoys a
high per-capita income due to oil revenues. Its native-born Arab popula¬
tion is roughly equal to its immigrants, mostly Indians, Pakistanis, and
Iranians. It has served since 2003 as the main staging area for US troops in
the Gulf region and, paradoxically, hosts the satellite television station al-
Jazeera, which often criticizes American policies and is widely approved by
Arabs, if not always their rulers. Qatar is also a popular resort for Saudis
seeking an escape from their country's restrictions on alcohol and sexual