Yemen, a country in the Middle East, is located in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula, in a region known as Horn of Africa. Like most countries in the Middle East, it is a country rich in broad cultural beliefs but also faced with many difficulties. It is also one of the countries in this area that the United States must demonstrate and take an active interest in foreign policy. One of the main reasons why the United States should take an active interest in the region is that it has the potential to become a key site in the war on terrorism and a safe haven for terrorist organizations. Al-Qaeda currently has a strong presence in the Arabian Peninsula. (Temple-Raston, 2010) Many key factors can lead to Yemen becoming one of these safe havens. Currently, the political scene in the Middle East has been in turmoil in recent months with popular uprisings and the ouster of Egyptian leaders. Yemen is no exception. Yemen is a country on the brink of financial collapse and its natural resources are drying up. Yemen has a high poverty rate, a high rate of illiteracy among those who cannot read, and a young population. All of these factors and more will determine the differing amount of resources the United States will devote to a country to help it fight the war on terror. The first alternative in relations with a country is in the diplomatic field. Diplomacy with Yemen has been an up-and-down battle. Yemen itself is a country that has struggled to create a national bond among its population. The country was unified between the north and the south in 1990. In 1994, the country experienced a brief war provoked by the South, but this attempt at succession failed. The president of Yemen is President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who has ...... middle of paper ......011 Economic Freedom Index. Retrieved March 13, 2011 from Yemen: http://www.heritage.org/Index/country/YemenJohnsen, GD (2006, November-December Unkmown). Well gone dry. Retrieved March 12, 2011, from The American Interest Magazine: www.the-american-interest.com/article.cfm?piece=195Shane, LK (March 1, 2011). A radical cleric demands the departure of Yemen's leader. Retrieved March 12, 2011, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/world/middleeast/02yemen.html Soufan, AH (January 2, 2010). New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2011, from Scenes From the War on Terrorism in Yemen: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/opinion/03soufan.htmlTemple-Raston, D. (November 8, 2010). For Al-Qaeda in Yemen, targeting the United States is a personal matter. Retrieved March 13, 2011 from NPR: http://www.npr.org/2010/11/18/131423965/for-yemen-terrorists-targeting-us-it-s-personal