Protecting an Invaluable and Ever - Widening Infrastructure International Perspectives

Infrastructure” is defined as “the basic facilities, services, and installations needed for the functioning of a community or society, such as transportation and communications systems, water and power lines, and public institutions.” Societies invest in infrastructure to meet their current and future needs and thus infrastructure reflects the evolution of technology from simpler to more complex, and, in many parts of the world, increases efficiency for its operators, allows greater safety for society as a whole, and offers greater consumer choice. Diminishing infrastructure moves the society it supports toward less comfort and safety, from plenty to scarcity, from richness to want. Societies recognize their critical dependence on these “commons” and adopt policies and processes to distribute infrastructure and services and to protect them from damage and misuse. Conversely, attacking a society implies threatening its people and infrastructure systems. Denial of access to such basics as water, energy, and transit is a form of international conflict that threatens a nation’s security and often leads to war. The industrial revolution greatly increased the extent and the complexity of the world’s infrastructure, its connectivity, and its technical and economic interdependencies. Developed nations have, over the past generation, entered a second, equally significant, period—that of the information revolution. Information technology (IT) penetrates into many aspects of life for an increasing number of people throughout the world, enriching us but also producing systems of such complexity that they create new dependencies and risks to society.