TH th WEEKLY NEWS AND ANALYSIS FROM 30 JULY TO 4 AUG, 2015 INTERNATIONAL NEWS In major shift, Turkey to allow US to use key Incirlik Air Base for strikes on Islamic State Turkey has agreed to let the U.S. military launch airstrikes against the Islamic State from a key air base near the Syrian border, senior U.S. officials said, giving a boost to the U.S.-led coalition while drawing Turkey deeper into the conflict. President Barack Obama and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan finalized the deal, following months of U.S. appeals and delicate negotiations over the use of Incirlik and other bases in Turkey. Frustrated by Obama's focus on fighting IS instead of Syrian President Bashar Assad, Turkey's government had resisted the move, but in recent days a surge in Islamic State activity in Turkey has brought concerns about the militant group to the forefront. American officials said access to the base in southern Turkey, not far from IS strongholds across the border in Syria, would allow the U.S. to move more swiftly and nimbly against IS targets. If the agreement holds, the U.S.-led coalition will be positioned to conduct better surveillance over Syria and act quicker on intelligence than when it was limited to launching flights from places like Iraq, Jordan and the Gulf states. Under the deal, the U.S. military will be allowed to launch manned and unmanned flights from Incirlik; in the past, only unmanned drone flights were allowed. "Turkey is a critical partner in degrading and defeating ISIL, and we appreciate the essential support Turkey provides to the international coalition across the many lines of effort," said Alistair Baskey, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, using an alternative acronym for the militant group. Incirlik Air Base, located across the border from the Syrian city of Aleppo, is a joint U.S.-Turkish installation that houses the U.S. Air Force's 39th Air Base Wing. Its proximity to IS-controlled territory in Syria — including Raqqa, the group's de facto capital — makes it an attractive launching pad for U.S. airstrikes against IS. Turkey shares a 1,250-kilometer (775-mile) border with Syria and with Iraq, where IS also controls broad swaths of territory. Turkey, a NATO ally and onetime close U.S. partner, has resisted getting embroiled too deeply in the U.S.-led fight against IS. The move to allow Turkish soil to be used to launch U.S. airstrikes appeared to mark a significant shift in approach. Although Turkey is part of the U.S.-led coalition, it has limited its role out of concern that Washington's overall strategy for Syria is flawed. To Turkey's dismay, Obama has prioritized fighting IS over opposing Assad in Syria's civil war. Turkey's shift on Incirlik came as the country is on higher alert following a series of deadly attacks and unsettling signs of increased IS activity in Turkey. Beijing slams U.S. for militarising South China Sea China has slammed the U.S. for militarising the South China Sea and escalating tensions that have been fuelled by maritime disputes in these waters, which are vital for the conduct of international trade. China’s Defence Ministry accused Washington of staging patrols and joint military exercises. At the heart of the sharpening rhetoric is the territorial dispute in South China Sea which has pitted China with Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei. Obama’s ‘Asia Pivot’ Military activity in the Pacific has been accelerating following President Barack Obama’s “Asia Pivot” or “Rebalance” doctrine, which has led Washington to position 60 per cent of its forces in the Pacific. In Beijing, the “Asia Pivot” doctrine is seen as a China-containment policy. The Chinese have been especially piqued by earlier surveillance mission undertaken by U.S. Pacific Fleet commander, Admiral Scott Swift, who, for seven hours, flew on a reconnaissance mission aboard a P-8A plane in the South China Sea. Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said at a news briefing that the U.S. was fuelling the “China threat” in a bid to drive differences between China and other claimant countries in the South China Sea. For a long time, the U.S. had carried out frequent, widespread, close-in surveillance of China, by sending ships and aircraft to the region, he added. “Recently they have further increased military alliances and their military presence, frequently holding joint drills.” Mr. Yang stressed that China’s on-going naval exercise was routine and did not target a third party. Russia, China set to counter US-led ‘Asia Pivot’ in the Pacific Russia has released a new naval doctrine that singles out China as its core partner in the Pacific, signaling Moscow and Beijing’s push towards countering the Japan backed “Asia Pivot” of the United States. The Russians unveiled their new doctrine on board the frigate Admiral Gorshkov, and in the presence of President Vladimir Putin. Weekly News and Analysis Byju’s Classes-9873643487 1 2015CA_030,031,001,002,003,004 Regarding the Pacific, the amended naval doctrine, which will be valid till 2020, underscored that friendly ties with China in the Pacific were one of the cornerstones of Moscow’s new policy. "Cooperating with China and other countries in the region is a crucial part of carrying out the nation's maritime policy," Russia's maritime strategy stressed. Moscow and Beijing appear to have responded strongly to Japan’s budding post-war doctrinal shift, which will allow Tokyo to deploy its armed forces overseas even without an imminent threat to Japanese territory or citizens. Opponents say that the two security bills being debated in Parliament could draw Tokyo into U.S.-led conflicts around the globe. Specifically, the legislations can cement Washington’s “Asia Pivot” doctrine which envisages that 60 per cent of the total US armed forces would be deployed under the Pacific Command, with China as its focal point. Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman, Yang Yujun reinforced the attack by trashing Japan’s demand that China halt construction of oil drilling platforms in the East China Sea. "Japan's recent and frequent finger-pointing is to create and play up the 'China Threat,' so as to find excuses for passing controversial security bills," observed Mr. Yang. The Defence Ministry also pointed out that the oil platforms, of which the Japanese had released pictures, were being legitimately established within China’s territorial waters. In parallel, the Russo-Japanese ties are also now under increasing strain. Earlier this month, Russian Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu announced that troops on Kuril islands, disputed by Japan, will be rearmed. On their part the Japanese have raised an alarm about a Russian military build-up in the east of the country, including on the Kuril Islands. The clearest signal that the Russians and the Chinese were factoring the reinforcement of the U.S.-Japan military alliance in the Pacific came on July 7 when it was announced that Moscow and Beijing will conduct joint military exercises in the Sea of Japan. The Russian Navy’s Pacific fleet will deploy 20 warships as well as aircraft and helicopters, in the August drill, which is a follow up of a similar exercise that the two countries had held in the Mediterranean Sea two months ago. At the heart of the tensions in the Pacific are the South China Sea maritime disputes, which have pitted China against Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. The Chinese have been incensed by the seven hour surveillance mission that was personally undertaken in the South China by Admiral Scott Swift — the U.S. Pacific fleet commander. earlier this month. Earlier, the Chinese Defence Ministry went ballistic by accusing the U.S. of militarising the South China Sea. "China is extremely concerned at the United States' pushing of the militarisation of the South China Sea region," Mr. Yang observed. China has added punch to its rhetoric with the deployment of more than 100 Chinese naval vessels and dozens of military aircraft during military manoeuvres in the South China Sea. Aligning Moscow’s perception with the Chinese, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov observed in May that the U.S. was the main de-stabilising factor in the Asia-Pacific. "We are concerned by US policies in the region, especially since every day it becomes increasingly focused on a systemic containment of Russia and China," Russia Today quoted him as saying. Réunion Island wreckage from Boeing 777, confirms Malaysia Malaysian authorities confirmed that plane wreckage washed up on an Indian Ocean Island was from a Boeing 777, meaning the part is almost certainly from missing flight MH370. The debris, part of a plane wing, could provide the first tangible clue towards unlocking the mystery surrounding the Malaysia Airlines plane, which disappeared in March last year with 239 people on board. “I believe that we are moving closer to solving the mystery of MH370. This could be the convincing evidence that MH370 went down in the Indian Ocean,” Malaysia’ deputy transport minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi told AFP. The Malaysia Airlines flight was one of only three Boeing 777s to have been involved in major incidents, along with the downing of the MH17 over Ukraine last year and the Asiana Airlines crash at San Francisco airport in 2013 that left three dead. The wing component found on the French island of La Réunion bears the part number ‘ 657 BB’, according to photos of the debris. “From the part number, it is confirmed that it is from a Boeing 777 aircraft.