This study examines the nature of the relationship between a superpower and a small state, using as a case study that of the Yemen Arab Republic (YAR) and the USA. The period covered is the lifetime of the YAR from 26 September 1962 when the Republic was declared, to 22 May 1990, when the YAR was united with the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) to form the Republic of Yemen (ROY). After a brief examination of pre-revolutionary North Yemen-US contacts, which provide the backdrop to the relationship inherited by the Republic, Chapters 2-5 adopt a chronological approach to the different phases in the YAR-US interaction. The sixth chapter focuses on the economic dimension of the relationship. Beyond establishing a chronological account, this thesis analyzes several interrelated themes. It explores how the emergence of what was the first Republic in the Arabian Peninsula affected the balance of power in the Middle East and how this, in turn, affected US policy towards the region and towards Sana'a during the Cold War. In particular, it examines to what extent, if at all, the YAR benefitted from the bilateral relationship, and how this fitted in with the YAR government's overall foreign policy. It investigates the extent to which the YAR was subjected to US Middle Eastern and global policies. It further examines how international strategic rivalries between the superpowers and other interested nations affected the YAR and how Sana'a attempted to exploit and benefit from these rivalries and intersections. Other themes include the role played by the Yemeni people in affecting regional and international relations and the effect of regional religious differences on the YAR-US interaction. This study also studies how the YAR as a small state experienced a degree of freedom of manoeuvre in determining its own foreign policy
