SPE NTU Hosts Distinguished Lecture Series on Global Security, Conflict, and Political Economy photo

SPE NTU Hosts Distinguished Lecture Series on Global Security, Conflict, and Political Economy

The School of Political Science and Economics at National Taiwan University was honored to hold a distinguished talks series from June 2 to June 6, 2025, featuring four leading scholars in international relations, security studies, and political economy.

 

On June 2 (10:00-11:30), Dr. James D. Fearon (Stanford University), a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and one of the most influential political scientists in the study of war and deterrence, delivered “The Conventional Balance of Terror: America Needs a New Triad to Restore Its Eroding Deterrence.” Moderated by Dr. Yu-shan Wu (NTU), Dr. Fearon examined shifts in U.S. defense posture and the need for a renewed conventional deterrent strategy.

 

That afternoon (14:00-15:30), Dr. Jacob N. Shapiro (Princeton University), known for his award-winning work on insurgency, terrorism, and the political economy of conflict, sopke on “Using Data to Understand Conflict: Lessons from 20 Years of Research on Insurgency and Terrorism” for The SinoPac Financial Distinguished Lecture. His talk, moderated by Dr. Hans H. Tung (NTU), highlighted insights drawn from large-scale empirical studies on violence and security.

 

On June 5, Dr. Aila M. Matanock (University of California, Berkeley), author of the acclaimed book Electing Peace and a leading scholar on post-conflict statebuilding, presented “Inviting Intervention: Statebuilding by Delegating Security” (14:00-15:30) for The Missioncare Distinguished Chair Lecture. The session, moderated by Dr. S. Philip Hsu (NTU), explored how governments engaged external actors in their efforts to rebuild state authority.

The series concluded on June 6 (10:00-11:30) with Dr. Eli Berman (University of California, San Diego), a pioneer in the economic analysis of terrorism and former research director at the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project, who delivered The Hua Nan Financial Distinguished Lecture titled “Economics and National Security since Adam Smith: A Brief History.” Dr. Chih-Sheng Hsieh (NTU) moderated this final session, which reflected on the long-standing and evolving relationship between market institutions and national defense.

Dr. James D. Fearon

 

 

Dr. Jacob N. Shapiro

 

 

Dr. Aila M. Matanock

 

 

Dr. Eli Berman