The opening lecture featured Prof. James D. Fearon, a Stanford University professor and leading authority in war and deterrence studies, speaking on “The Conventional Balance of Terror: America Needs a New Triad to Restore Its Eroding Deterrence.” A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Prof. Fearon was hosted by NTU Professor and Academia Sinica Academician Yu-Shan Wu. He offered a deep analysis of changes in U.S. deterrence strategy, advocating the reconstruction of the traditional military triad to address current challenges.
Princeton University political science professor Prof. Jacob N. Shapiro delivered a lecture titled “Using Data to Understand Conflict: Lessons from 20 Years of Research on Insurgency and Terrorism.” Drawing on two decades of empirical work in insurgency, terrorism, and the political economy of conflict, Prof. Shapiro presented a data-driven perspective on security issues, hosted by Professor Hans H. Tung. His talk combined theoretical rigor with practical insights, offering the audience a research approach rooted in large-scale data analysis.