Since the outset of 2025, Taiwan has entered a critical period of domestic political upheaval and geostrategic recalibration. From growing concerns regarding cross-Strait military activity amidst large-scale Chinese exercises, to increased uncertainty about U.S. trade ties and political support, to deeply contentious domestic politics and constitutional issues, Taiwan is presently navigating numerous challenging policy positions and international trends. What are the most pressing issues for the United States and Taiwan to navigate in the near-term to safeguard stable and productive political, economic, and security relations?

To address this pertinent topic, the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at the George Washington University and the Institute of East Asian Studies (IEAS) at UC Berkeley are bringing together a panel of scholars from the U.S.-Taiwan Next Generation Working Group to examine the most urgent priorities facing Taiwan over the next three to six months, with a focus on policy credibility and consistency, political psychology, civil-military strains, and people-to-people ties.

The U.S.-Taiwan Next Generation Working Group, administered by IEAS with generous support from the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in San Francisco, is an in-depth training program for scholars and policymakers with an interest in U.S.-Taiwan relations. The program aims to identify, nurture, and build a community of American public policy intellectuals across a wide range of sectors and facilitate policy-oriented research teams and projects. In all, it will contribute to the understanding of Taiwanese points of view in international venues through facilitating deeper dialogue and vigorous research.

Please join the Sigur Center and IEAS for this timely discussion with a group of multidisciplinary experts from the Working Group to identify, evaluate, and discuss near-term priorities for U.S.-Taiwan relations!

Panel Speakers

• “Policy Credibility and Consistency,” Raymond Kuo, Director of the Taiwan Policy Initiative and Senior Political Scientist, RAND Corporation
• “The Political Psychology of U.S.-Taiwan Relations,” Rosalie Chen, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Dominican University
• "Confidence in Crisis: How U.S. Civil-Military Strain Shapes Taiwan’s Strategic Outlook," Gary Sampson, Independent National Security Strategist
• "The Importance of People-to-People Ties and Diplomatic Engagement in US-Taiwan Relations," Adrienne Chih-fang Wu, Program Manager, Global Taiwan Institute
• Moderator: Richard J. Haddock, Assistant Director, Sigur Center for Asian Studies; Co-Director, Taiwan Education & Research Program