Infrastructure That Binds and Builds Power

Building the Foundations of Geostrategic Advantage

Infrastructure defines the flow of commerce and power—literally and geopolitically. It moves goods, energy, data, and ideas; anchors alliances; and shapes long-term influence. In today’s era of strategic competition, infrastructure has become a central battleground for trust, control, and deterrence.

This pillar focuses on the physical and digital systems that underwrite security and prosperity. When these systems are trusted and resilient, they empower. When they are opaque and coercive, they entrap. DRI & WISC define what leadership in infrastructure looks like—at scale, with speed, and in concert with allies and partners.

Strategic Question


Can America and its allies deploy trusted infrastructure—digital and physical—at the urgency and scale required to compete?

Key Focus Areas

Strategic Finance Tools

Mobilizing public and private capital through development finance, export credit, and sovereign investment to accelerate the buildout of high-standard infrastructure before authoritarian alternatives fill the void.

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Mobility and Trade Infrastructure

Securing the logistics systems—ports, shipping corridors, rail, and digital platforms—that keep commerce flowing and chokepoints protected.

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Strategic Inputs Infrastructure

Developing facilities to process and move critical inputs like rare earths, critical minerals, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals, ensuring secure access to foundational supply chain nodes.

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Secure Digital Infrastructure

Deploying telecommunications networks, data centers, internet exchange points, and undersea cables that are free from authoritarian control—ensuring openness and integrity in the digital backbone.

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Empowering Energy Infrastructure

Building clean, resilient, and diversified energy systems—such as nuclear, cross-border grids, and LNG networks—to avoid future dependence on coercive suppliers.

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Strategic Pillars
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Enhancing Resilience and Expanding Reach

To compete without compromising openness, 
the U.S. and its allies must strengthen economic resilience. DRI & WISC focus on realistic strategies to reduce overdependencies, secure critical inputs, 
and protect against authoritarian distortion—while preserving innovation, reach, and competitiveness.

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Securing Democratic Digital Dominance

The digital domain shapes everything from economic power to military readiness. DRI & WISC advance democratic leadership across the digital ecosystem—securing trusted infrastructure, guiding innovation, and setting global standards before authoritarian models take hold.

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Modernizing Alliances for Mutual Advantage

To scale impact and deter coercion, alliances must evolve beyond shared values to shared capabilities. DRI & WISC promote modern alliance strategies that align industrial policy, defense readiness, trade, and infrastructure for collective advantage.

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Financial Access in a Growing World

Access to affordable, reliable financial services is a cornerstone of inclusive development. As economies grow and markets evolve, millions remain underserved or excluded from formal financial systems, limiting their ability to invest, manage risk, and build resilience. This pillar examines how innovations in finance—from digital banking to microcredit—can close access gaps, adapt to shifting global conditions, and ensure that economic growth benefits individuals and communities at every level.

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Development That Delivers Opportunity

Inclusive development underpins economic security. Advancing financial access, human capital, institutional trust, and entrepreneurship strengthens prosperity and expands opportunity in every region.

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Evidence-Based Practice in Development Policy

Effective development policy demands more than good intentions—it requires rigorous evidence, tested approaches, and measurable results. This pillar focuses on translating academic research into practical strategies that address complex development challenges. By combining data-driven analysis with local knowledge, the aim is to help policymakers, practitioners, and communities identify what works, adapt it to their contexts, and scale solutions that deliver lasting impact.

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