• Persian Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have suddenly parted ways on their partnership prosecuting the bloody war in Yemen.
(“Why Saudi-UAE alliance is cracking: Yemen, Iran and Trump,” Christian Science Monitor, Aug. 23, 2019; “A deadly airstrike in the Yemen war,” New York Times, Aug. 29, 2019; “Yemen: Southern separatists regain control of port city of Aden,”Al Jazeera video)
• For nearly 30 years, United Nations soldiers have kept the peace along a 1,700-mile ceasefire line in the Western Sahara separating Moroccan troops from the pro-independence Polisario Front. While talks for a final peace settlement have stalled, a small number of peacekeepers maintains the ceasefire. The Trump regime is opposed to an independent state in Western Sahara.
(“Dormant war draws US spotlight,” Wall Street Journal, Aug. 12, 2019; “Washington won’t support creation of state on southern Morocco,” Morocco World News, Aug. 11, 2019)
• Ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft are bad news for mass transit. Academic studies show ridesharing services take riders away from buses and subways. Researchers report that most urban mass transit systems in the United States today are losing ridership.
(“When cities turn to Uber instead of buses and trains,” American Prospect, Aug. 13, 2019)
