Modernizing Alliances for Mutual Advantage

Adapt, align, and advance—building 21st-century alliances for 21st-century challenges

From Shared Values to Shared Capabilities

Alliances have long been America’s greatest strategic asset—but in today’s fast-moving competitive landscape, shared history is no longer enough. To counter authoritarian coercion and scale responses to global challenges, alliances must evolve from static pacts into dynamic platforms for economic, technological, and industrial coordination. This pillar focuses on translating partnership into performance—across defense production, trade rules, infrastructure finance, and digital governance. That requires interoperability, pooled resources, and common strategic planning. Modern alliances must align not only in values, but in execution.

Strategic Question

Can America and its partners align deeply and quickly enough to translate alliances into real-time strategic advantage?

Key Focus Areas

Modern Alliance Architecture

Adapting legacy alliances and forging new ones to integrate emerging capabilities and engage pivotal partners.

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Defense Industrial Integration

Enhancing co-production, joint procurement, and cross-border defense readiness across NATO, Indo-Pacific, and other trusted frameworks.

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Aligned Infrastructure Finance

Pooling resources and coordinating development finance to offer credible, values-based alternatives to authoritarian infrastructure campaigns.

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Coordinated Supply Chains and Industrial Policy

Jointly mapping, securing, and scaling supply chains while aligning industrial strategies across democratic economies.

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Rules, Interoperability, and Norms

Harmonizing or agreeing on interoperability on legal, technical, and policy frameworks to enable seamless cooperation and close exploitable gaps.

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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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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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Infrastructure That Binds and Builds Power

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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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.

All Pillars