pacific forum History of Pacific Forum

PacNet #32 – The ARF Breaks New Ground

The recent meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the Asia Pacific’s premier track-one security dialogue, has been applauded as a watershed for the institution – and rightly so. The group’s pledge to fight international terrorism breathed new life into the forum. But the real significance of this year’s meeting is to be found in the substance of those commitments. Implementation of the measures endorsed at this year’s get-together would mark a turning point in the ARF, shifting both its focus and its role.