Egypt Flexing Its Muscles at the UN

"From Burundi to Syria, the lone Arab member of the U.N. Security Council is sparking concerns that it's working to weaken international human rights norms.

Egypt has quietly blocked a staunch critic of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's government from a job on a U.N. human rights panel, the latest sign of Cairo's increasing willingness to flex its diplomatic muscles at Turtle Bay.

The move last month to prevent the appointment of Yemen specialist Said Boumedouha, which has not been reported previously, comes as Cairo enters the fourth month of its two-year term on the U.N. Security Council. In that time, Egypt has watered down Security Council measures designed to combat rights abuses from Burundi to the Central African Republic. During its presidency of the 15-nation council in May, Egypt plans to host a public debate on the need to fight incitement to terrorism and extremism, a move that Western diplomats suspect is aimed at securing international legitimacy for squelching free speech at home.

The behind-the-scenes diplomatic activism has fueled concern among human rights advocates and some Western governments that the Sisi regime is using its newfound powers at the U.N. to extend its crackdown on dissent beyond its own borders while weakening international human rights norms abroad..."