We discuss sum-rule determinations of $alpha_s$ from non-strange hadronic $tau$-decay data. We investigate, in particular, the reliability of the assumptions underlying the truncated OPE strategy, which specifies a certain treatment of non-perturbative contributions, and which was employed in Refs. [1-3]. Here, we test this strategy by applying the strategy to the $R$-ratio obtained from $e^+e^-$ data, which extend beyond the $tau$ mass, and, based on the outcome of these tests, we demonstrate the failure of this strategy.We then present a brief overview of new results on the form of duality-violating non-perturbative contributions, which are conspicuously present in the experimentally determined spectral functions. As we show, with the current precision claimed for the extraction of $alpha_s$, including a representation of duality violations is unavoidable if one wishes to avoid uncontrolled theoretical errors.
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