The recent meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, or ARF, the Asia Pacific's premier track for 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 could mark a turning point for ARF, shifting both its focus and its role. This year's meeting was considered a real test of ARF's continuing relevance. The failure to respond with more than words to the threat of international terrorism -- especially when Southeast Asia has been identified as the "second front" in the war on terror -- would have confirmed the view of critics who argue that ARF is little more than a "talk shop," long on rhetoric but short on concrete action. Fortunately, ARF rose to the challenge.
The ARF Statement on Measures Against Terrorist Financing lays out specific steps that members will take to fight the terrorist threat. The language is important. The statement does not say that participants "should" or that they "agree to"; it is more emphatic: "ARF participants will implement quickly and decisively measures that the United Nations has identified as mandatory to combating terrorist financing. We will block terrorists' access to our financial system. We will work with other relevant international bodies." Steps that the participants will take pertain to: