Barack Obama criticises ‘free riders’ among US allies
President expresses frustration with Britain and France for Libya roles in blunt interviews
In wide-ranging interviews with the Atlantic magazine, US president Barack Obama likened Islamic State to the Joker in The Dark Knight, the 2008 Batman movie. The Middle East, Mr Obama said, was like Gotham, a corrupt metropolis controlled by a cartel of thugs. Photograph: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images
US president Barack Obama believes that Saudi Arabia, one of America’s most important allies in the Middle East, needs to learn how to “share” the region with its arch-enemy, Iran, and that both countries are guilty of fuelling proxy wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
