Attitudes Towards Multinationals: The Middle East in the World Context

Introduction The purpose of this article is to examine the evolution of the attitudes of Middle Eastern countries towards foreign direct investment and, more specifically, towards multinational corporations. It is important from the point of view of both the multinationals and the host countries to know whether the climate is becoming more favourable for foreign direct investment. Such a situation would mean less risk for the foreign investor and, other things being equal, a lower cost of capital which would reduce costs for both the foreign investor and the host country.