Economists also emphasize the need to expand the rule of law. The influence of the central government is limited. In governorates outside the larger cities, tribal leaders hold sway. Violence is a problem, as illicit guns outnumber Yemenis by three to one, and Kalashnikov rifles are carried openly. Cultural and social mores seem to glorify violence by upholding a tradition of vendettas.
Foreigners are skittish about investing in Yemen because of security problems.
In a number of well-publicized cases, disgruntled tribesmen have taken foreign tourists or oil workers as hostages in order to press the government into granting development projects or releasing detained fellow tribesmen. To begin rectifying the problem, the government launched a disarmament campaign in 1999, including legislation that restricts the sale and distribution of guns and places a ban on carrying guns in major cities.