ABSTRACT
ThegeographicalpositionofsouthernArabiahaslonggivenit strategicimportance.Closetotheworld'smajoroilsources,itoverlooksboththeIndianOceanandtheRedSea,whosesouthern entranceitdirectlycontrols.ForyearstheportofAdenserved BritainasastationtothePersianGulf,IndiaandEastAfricaand nowattractstheSovietsforthesamereasons.
