Long Road from Taif to Jeddah : Resolution of a Saudi-yemeni Boundary Dispute

Competing territorial and boundary claims have historically ignited intense disputes between countries. The boundary dispute between Saudi Arabia and Yemen during the past seventy years has been no exception. The disputed area, covering both land and sea, constitutes strategically and economically important territory between the two largest states in the Arabian Peninsula and the issue has periodically threatened regional peace and stability. This book offers the first systematic study of the resolution of this dispute. It provides an assessment of various aspects of the dispute and legal attempts to resolve them, also with reference to the principles of international law. Special attention is given to the Treaty of Taif in 1934 and subsequent developments until the Treaty of Jeddah in 2000, which incorporated the Treaty of Taif and established a maritime and land boundary between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. In recent years the rulers of several Gulf states have focused more on the finalization of the Arabian political map. Linear international boundaries have become increasingly accepted, but some disputes remain. In this context, "The Long Road from Taif to Jeddah" provides both an important legal analysis of the Saudi-Yemeni boundary dispute and a valuable case study of dispute resolution.