ABSTRACT
The pressures for political change in Yemen have been a product of various underlying socio-economic changes affecting the country over the past half-century. As a result, new forces of political opposition of the Imamate were emerging even as Imam Yahya was in the proceeds of consolidating his control over the country. The interplay and visions between competing political ideas and movements, traditional and modern, far from being resolved by the 'revolution of 1962' or the end of the civil war, continues to bedevil Yemeni politics. An Important factor in changing Yemeni political attitudes was the presence of the British government in Aden. By their presence in Aden and on Kamaran Island, the British provided a window on and gate to the outside world, serving as the medium of communication between the Imamate and other states and as a place of refuge for political dissidents.
