In the foreign-direct-investment world, the year 2014 was characterized by policy discussions, especially about the nature of the international investment law and policy regime, its investor-state dispute-settlement mechanism, the role of bilateral investment treaties, and the question of rules for state-owned enterprises. This discussion took place against the backdrop of a decline in world FDI flows by multinational enterprises and the growing attractiveness of emerging markets as host countries and the further rise of outward FDI from these countries.