“The ASEAN Regional Forum: Challenges and Prospects” with Tan Sri Mohamed Jawhar Hassan

On May 12 Tan Sri Mohamed Jawhar Hassan, Senior Advisor, Asia-Europe Institute, University of Malaya and Board Member at the Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies (IAIS) delivered a lecture on the ASEAN Regional Forum role in the regional security cooperation. The event concluded the spring semester program “ASEAN Academic Days 2021 in MGIMO” and was moderatored by Dr. Ekaterina Koldunova, ASEAN Centre Acting Director, Associate Professor of the Department of Asian and African Studies at MGIMO. The lecture touched upon the challenges and prospects of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). In tackling the regional security issues ARF is limited by its governing principle of consensus and its toolset, presented mostly by the confidence-building measures. The lecturer also stated that the geographical framework of the Forum also raises many questions, as it overlaps with the geographical “scope of responsibility” of other regional organizations, such as ASEAN or Pacific Islands Forum. Mr. Jawhar Hassan also stre