Eli Lake Bloomberg

As Washington ponders how the U.S. lost its longest war in Afghanistan, it's worth considering another question: Who won the war?

You would be forgiven for thinking the U.S. backs Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in their current standoff against Qatar. President Donald Trump himself has taken the Saudis' line against their fellow Gulf monarchy, tweeting last week that Arab leaders all pointed to Qatar as a serial financier of terrorism.

For anyone who remembers Washington in the 1980s and 1990s, the Saudi ambassador at the time was something of a legend. Prince Bandar bin Sultan seemed to know everybody. He was close friends with both Bush presidents and enjoyed warm ties with President Bill Clinton.

The only time I visited North Korea, Kim Jong-Il was the dictator and Madeleine Albright was the U.S. secretary of state. I was part of her press entourage when she traveled to the Hermit Kingdom at the end of 2000.

Pakistan held its annual military day parade and displayed its new medium-range nuclear missiles last month, and it barely made a splash in Washington. But at least one analyst was paying close attention.

As Washington ponders how the U.S. lost its longest war in Afghanistan, it's worth considering another question: Who won the war?

You would be forgiven for thinking the U.S. backs Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in their current standoff against Qatar. President Donald Trump himself has taken the Saudis' line against their fellow Gulf monarchy, tweeting last week that Arab leaders all pointed to Qatar as a serial financier of terrorism.

For anyone who remembers Washington in the 1980s and 1990s, the Saudi ambassador at the time was something of a legend. Prince Bandar bin Sultan seemed to know everybody. He was close friends with both Bush presidents and enjoyed warm ties with President Bill Clinton.

The only time I visited North Korea, Kim Jong-Il was the dictator and Madeleine Albright was the U.S. secretary of state. I was part of her press entourage when she traveled to the Hermit Kingdom at the end of 2000.

Pakistan held its annual military day parade and displayed its new medium-range nuclear missiles last month, and it barely made a splash in Washington. But at least one analyst was paying close attention.