[20070104]RS21808_也门：当前状况和美国关系.pdf

Order Code RS21808Updated January 4, 2007Yemen: Current Conditions and U.S. RelationsAlfred B. Prados and Jeremy M. SharpForeign Affairs, Defense, and Trade DivisionSummaryYemen, the only republic on the Arabian Peninsula, is the poorest country in thatarea. A presidential election deemed relatively fair was held in 2006 with President AliAbdullah Salih winning reelection with 77% of the popular vote. Nevertheless,democratic institutions remain fragile. U.S.-Yemeni relations have generally been good,though marred occasionally by policy differences over Iraq and the Arab-Israeli conflict.Yemen has played a cooperative role in U.S. counter-terrorism efforts in the Red Seaand Arabian Peninsula, though overall U.S. economic and military assistance to Yemenremains modest. This report summarizes Yemens domestic situation, foreign relations,and ties with the United States. It will be updated as significant developments occur. OverviewThe Republic of Yemen, formed by the merger of the former separate states of NorthYemen and South Yemen in 1990, is pursuing political and economic reforms, althoughits progress in implementing these reforms has been uneven. In 1994, government forcesloyal to