"A investing with confidence: understanding political risk management in the 21st century", is based on papers at the 2008 symposium on international political risk management, host by the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and Georgetown University on December 4, 2008. The symposium was the sixth such event, and coincided with MIGA 20th anniversary. Both of these milestones attest to the importance of political risk insurance (PRI) and the extent to which the PRI market has developed and grown during this period. The last 20 years have seen tremendous growth in both the number and value of projects that have been insured, and a steady and healthy increase in the number of PRI providers in the marketplace. MIGA, for one, has written over $20 billion in guarantees since the agency was established, and has worked with and received support from a wide range of private, public, and multilateral insurers. Events like the MIGA-Georgetown symposium demonstrate that there is much to be learned through the sharing of experiences and thinking together about the critical issues that confront the industry as well as new products and ideas. The chapters presented in this volume provide the reader with important and current insights into the evolving world of political risk insurance and foreign direct investment. The financial crisis presents us incredible challenges, and at the same time, incredible opportunities. Through cooperation and innovation, the author can emerge from the crisis in a stronger position. Making the most of the lessons the author have learned from the past and applying new tools puts us in a position to mitigate the impact of the current crisis on those countries with the least resilience and with the greatest need for continued foreign direct investment, as well as to benefit from new opportunities as the recovery begins and credit flows and investment levels regain momentum.