A KEY adviser to Barack Obama's policy team on Afghanistan and Pakistan spoke to Enfield residents at an event yesterday.

Vali Nasr, a senior adviser to the US State Department, spoke at an event at Palmers Green Mosque, in Oakthorpe Road, organised by Wood Green charity the Faith Regen Foundation.

The Iranian-American academic told around 50 people the killing of Osama bin Laden was of much less significance than the rise of protesters in the Middle East calling for democracy.

He said: “The problem in these countries is that there is no market economy – most of the Arab world just sells oil and then buys things with that money.

“The balance of power in the Muslim world is being reshaped by an upwardly mobile middle class of entrepreneurs, investors, professionals, and avid consumers.”

The Faith Regen Foundation describes itself as a Muslim-inspired multi-faith charity that aims to encourage greater understanding and dialogue between faiths.