Egypt Can’t Blame Everyone Else

Egypt initially resisted theories that a bomb brought down Russian Metrojet Flight 9268 in the Sinai Peninsula, killing 224. Evidence suggests that extremists may have planted a board onboard the plane, and other countries are reacting, including the United Kingdom, which suspended flights to the region, and Russia, which eventually suspended flights to the nation. Egyptian authorities waited a week to brief the press tersely and then complained about global media reports on the airlines incident along with broader political and human-rights concerns, explains H.A. Hellyer, writing for Al Arabiya. He concludes that those who speak truth to power “deserve recognition of praise and commendations – not to be treated as common criminals.” Egypt’s crackdown on civil-rights activists and journalists inside the country could invite new waves of extremism and renew global press scrutiny of the government led by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his allies in the West. – YaleGlobal