Atlanta firms wary ‘rogue states’

By Kelly Yamanouchi

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Companies with international reach — including some in Atlanta — have drawn the attention of an obscure government office that pushes them to detail their dealings in nations considered state sponsors of terrorism.

It’s driven in part by the rise of “terror-free investing,” or avoiding investments in companies that have business activities in state sponsors of terrorism — currently designated by the State Department as Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria. Some large institutional investors such as state retirement funds and universities have been pushed by lawmakers or officials to divest shares in companies that do business in certain nations.

And since 2004, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s little-known Office of Global Security Risk has routinely asked certain multinational firms to respond to questions about any business in so-called “rogue states.”

In Sunday’s newspaper, the AJC takes a deep look at local companies that sometimes deal with rogue states. It’s a story you’ll get only by picking up a copy of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution or logging on to the paper’s iPad app. Subscribe today.