International Trade Profits

Kuwait - Featured Country

Due to high oil prices and output, Kuwait's economy earned almost US $12 billion in the first five months of the current fiscal year, the country's Finance Ministry recently said. A desert climate that severely limits agriculture means that Kuwait has to import much of its food and even water. The country also imports large quantities of construction materials, vehicles and parts, and clothing, according to the CIA World Factbook.

If you'd like to find out more about trade with Kuwait, here are three excellent sites.

Arab.Net page on Kuwait http://www.arab.net/kuwait/. This is a good starting point for research on Kuwait, with resources on the country's history, climate, culture, government, and some how-to articles about doing business in Kuwait.

Kuwait Free Trade Zone http://portal.nrec.com.kw/servlet/page?_pageid=132&_dad=portal30&_schema=PORTAL30 The Kuwait Free Trade Zone has been established to help foreign companies do business, and it offers a number of incentives. This site will get you up to speed on what the Free Trade Zone is all about, and how to use it successfully.

Another useful resource is the National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce http://www.nusacc.org. This site supports trade in the Middle East, and has research data about the region, as well as sponsoring conferences and other events.

Country Profiles - Kuwait
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/kwtoc.html Country profile of Kuwait. Includes news, maps, statistics/information on governmental bodies, development organizations, industrial profiles, business profiles, Human rights records, and environmental profiles.

US Commercial Service's Country Commercial Guides (CCG) are prepared by US Embassy Staff in Kuwait and contain information on the business and economic situation and the political climate as it affects U.S. business. CCG contains topics such as marketing, trade regulations, investment climate, and business travel.
http://www.buyusainfo.net/info.cfm?id=119994

There are many more links to Kuwait at the FITA site. Go to http://fita.org/webindex/index.html, click on Regional Resources and Multi-Lateral Trading Areas in the left column, then scroll down to Middle East/Africa and click on Kuwait in the drop-down box. Or simply type "Kuwait" in the search box at http://www.fita.org.

Social Security Outside The USA

If you do business overseas you may be affected by the increasing number of countries that have Social Security programs. There are laws and regulations concerning Social Security in foreign countries that may have an impact on employers who do business with these countries. Social Security In Other Countries is a good site to visit, because it has links to the relevant agencies in countries from Algeria to Venezuela, plus international organizations that have to do with labor, pension funds, and Social Security.