International Update

To the south is a nation where a woman is arrested if she drives an automobile. To the north, across a narrow strait, is a nation which mixes religious politics with nuclear politics.

With the fall of the Iron Curtain a quarter century ago, previously closed nations in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) welcomed an immense influx of foreign direct investment (FDI), helping it become one of the world’s fastest growing regions.

Asked in 2013 to what degree they agreed with the statement “The oil and gas industry provides significant benefits for the whole country,” only 54 percent of those polled in Québec somewhat or strongly agreed.

Listen to the numbers and they’ll tell you: The world’s economic center of gravity is shifting, and emerging markets are the bull’s eye.

Why is a Mexico manufacturing presence important to automotive suppliers hoping to reach markets beyond North America and Europe?

Gone are the days when corporate investors divided Latin America into three categories: Brazil, Mexico and “everywhere else.

Which Asia-Pacific cities deserve a spot on site selectors’ short lists of potential international headquarters locations?

Singapore-based developer Ascendas has been active in China for 20 years, creating space to meet clients’ evolving real estate requirements.

“We need to become an exporter to the whole world,” Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation Reza Moridi told Site Selection earlier this year.

Malaysia’s Oil & Gas Machinery and Equipment sector gained new momentum in August with the opening of the expansion of Halliburton’s Malaysia Manufacturing and Technology Centre in Senai, in the southern state of Johor Bahru.

When a US$1.8-trillion economy expands at a rate of over 5 percent, it should not cause much despondency, especially in these tough times when many developed economies struggle with 1- to 2-percent growth.

In earning Site Selection's Canadian Competitiveness Award this year, British Columbia's Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training jumps up from a second-place finish last year to snare the prize.

The term Multilatina might have been coined very recently, but the formation and evolution of these companies has been going on for years.

Early June saw the release of the 2013 Major Projects Inventory by the Moncton, N.B.-based Atlantic Provinces Economic Council. A major project is defined as any capital project, including public-sector, valued at $25 million or more ($10 million or more in Prince Edward Island). The 2012 MPI identified 357 major investment projects across Atlantic Canada with a value of $100 billion. This year those numbers totaled 388 projects valued at a record $115 billion.

African success stories may start with Botswana and end - a long time later - with Guinea. So once you establish where it is (on the continent's northwest coast), get over its past and look to the future, there may be a reason to spend more time on the conversation.

My father once mused that Australia and New Zealand exist so the rest of the world has something to envy.

Croatia is the newest country to join the European Union (EU), which it did on 1 July, 2013. But investors still need to be careful where they tread. Croatia is full of history, but as it enters a new chapter, investors will find themselves surrounded by minefields if they do not stay on their guard.

Site Selection magazine sat down with Atento CEO Alejandro Reynal to learn about the history of the company's massive international expansion of the last two decades as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telefonica, one of the world’s largest Telecom conglomerates, and what the future holds after the recent acquisition from Bain Capital in late December 2012.

Former Guatemalan President (1996-2000) and current Guatemala City Mayor Álvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen addressed a Guatemala Investment Summit on May 30th to encourage investors to consider seriously his metropolitan area the next time they are seeking a location for BPO, manufacturing or other facilities.

Bahrain and banking used to go together. That is not so much the case now. The "bank king" of the Gulf has been dethroned. Before the global financial crisis and the Arab Spring, Bahrain was the banking and finance centre for the Gulf and the wider Middle East. The United Arab Emirates has now become the go-to location for many activities in this sector.

The following is a compilation highlighting unique initiatives taking place in every South American country, each with its own unique approach to common challenges faced by investment promotion agencies. Examples range from tactical — such as the Peruvian approach to place branding — to strategic, such as Colombia's effort to improve its image.