Cluster F: Regional

Regional bodies occupy an increasingly significant position within the wider international system, serving both as platforms for collective action among neighbouring states, and as instruments through which broader strategic competition is conducted. These alliances and blocs illustrate how regional cooperation can function simultaneously as a mechanism for shared interest and as a means of consolidating influence against rival groupings. Organisations such as the African Union, the Association of South East Asian Nations and the Organisation of American States demonstrate that regional cooperation does not need to be defined by great power rivalry. Delegates within this cluster should consider the extent to which regional bodies can pursue their members’ shared interests separate to the wider strategic competition contextual to their region, whilst acknowledging how regional cooperation can be either strengthened or undermined by said competition.