Wedged between impoverished Ethiopia and lawless Somalia, and abutting pirateinfested shipping routes round the Horn of Africa, Djibouti is known for little more than being one of the few remaining bases of the French Foreign Legion.

On the other side of the Red Sea in the south-west corner of the Arabian peninsula, Yemen has natural gas reserves and is trying to lure investment from its wealthy neighbours. But the country suffers from a shortage of fresh water and is beset by economic hardship, a persistent al-Qaeda menace and a Shia rebellion in the north.