Gotta love America's new "partners" in Kabul:
Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mudjahed has declared that Chinese assistance will form the foundation of Afghan development.
On the One Belt, One Road initiative:
'This project will revive the Ancient Silk Road. China will be our gateway to international markets.'
I have no idea what products Mr Mudjahed is anxious to bring to market, although the thousands of surplus Humvees and Black Hawks will do for a start. On today's edition of our Clubland Q&A live around the planet, I did my best to convey the difference between Taliban then and Taliban now: They still want to ban music, body-bag women, kill homosexuals, etc, but they're a lot more media-savvy than they were twenty years ago, and they're having a grand old time pissing all over the humiliated and humbled Great Satan.
So simply click above and settle back for an hour-plus of my answers to questions from Steyn Club members on multiple aspects of this strange new moment we are now living in. I was a wee bit cranky today, not just because of my frustration at the shallowness of domestic commentary on an American flopout, but also because every time I catch Thoroughly Modern Milley or Klusterbleep Kirby on telly my contempt is so cold I have to put on a cardigan. So I hope the crankiness didn't get out of hand.
You don't have to be a Mark Steyn Club member to listen to the show, so please click away and enjoy it. But we do thank Steyn Clubbers for, as always, some excellent questions.
On a lighter note, that audio edition of Steyn's Song of the Week I mentioned can be heard on Serenade Radio today, Thursday, at 9pm British Summer Time - that's 4pm North American Eastern (ie, a couple of hours' time). The show airs every Sunday at 5.30pm, with repeats at 5.30am Monday and 9pm Thursday: all times UK.
Thank you for all your kind comments about The Mark Steyn Club and such features as The Hundred Years Ago Show, Tales for Our Time and Clubland Q&A. All are special productions for the Steyn Club. If you're not yet a member but are minded to consider signing up, you can get more info here. It also makes a splendid birthday gift for your loved one.