U.S. Doubles Down on Egypt’s Dictator

Abdul Fattah el-Sisi has been trampling human rights, the rule of law and freedom of the press since he became Egypt's president two years ago. For almost as long, the international community has called on him to stop. But his critics in Washington have recently changed their tune.

Sisi said Wednesday through an official statement that the human rights situation in Egypt should not be approached from a “Western perspective,” and he warned that the “fall of nation states” in the Middle East could fuel the rise of terrorism. According to the statement, Sisi made these points to a visiting U.S. congressional delegation led by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul.