The shooting down of MH17 more than a year ago and the downing of Metrojet A321 over the Egyptian Sinai peninsula just over a few weeks ago have one common denominator - terrorism. One was an act of terror due in part to the negligence of pro-Russian rebels and the other was a premeditated act of terrorism carried out by IS.

Both tragedies evoked international condemnation of their respective perpetrators, and worldwide sympathy for their victims. Yet, there is a lingering feeling that the responses to the two events were asymmetrical in light of the differing role a global power, Russia, had in the two tragedies. In one event, we see Russia as the enabler of aggressors and in the other, we have Russia the victim.

In response to the downing of MH17, Western powers reacted by imposing stricter sanctions on Russia, including restrictive economic sanctions. The Russian economy, while affected in part by the sanctions, was largely able to withstand the effects of them without a severe economic crisis.

The Russian government emerged from the crisis relatively unscathed, thus solidifying its position as a key player in international affairs. In a confirmation of Russian impunity, the Russian government used its power to deny those who lost loved ones on board MH17, within Malaysia and beyond, a fair investigation through a UN-backed tribunal.

The Metrojet A321 incident, one in a rapidly increasing number of attacks by IS, precipitated more global condemnation of IS and its terrorist antics. In the aftermath of the bombing, Western states have seemingly chosen to look beyond Russian involvement in the Ukrainian crisis and have accepted Russia as one of the key players in the complicated web of actors involved in the growing fight against IS.

President Vladimir Putin has personally vowed to avenge the downing of Metrojet A321 for what he has termed as “one of the bloodiest crimes” against Russians.

As the world continues to react, at times unevenly, to atrocities committed by IS in Paris, Beirut, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt, one common question has emerged - whose lives matter more? The seemingly uneven response by Russia and the international community to MH17 and Metrojet A321 have, unfortunately, brought to light a similar question in thinking about the two air tragedies.

Two hundred and ninety eight innocent lives were lost on board MH17 and 224 more were lost onboard Metrojet A321 but whose lives matter more - those on board MH17 or those onboard Metrojet A321?

On Aug 22, 2014, Malaysians came together to mourn the unnecessary loss of 298 innocent lives, including 43 Malaysians, on board MH17 which had been shot down over Ukraine just a month earlier. For many, the degrees of separation were fewer than six - most of us knew someone who knew a victim on board the plane. We were a nation united in grief, sorrow and anger.

Heartbreaking scenes

How can one forget the procession of corteges or the many heartbreaking scenes of children who had lost their parents or the heart-tugging silence as the nation marked a minute in remembrance of the victims? Malaysians are not the best at expressing their feelings but many of us shed tears in the days after the downing of MH17 and continue to feel for those who lost someone onboard MH17 as we pursue the fight for justice.

While the world must continue to address the rising global security threat of IS, it should not fail those who lost loved ones in an act of terror on board MH17. The Malaysian government, in collaboration with the Dutch, Australian, Belgian and Ukrainian governments, must stand their ground to fight for justice. An act of terror is an act of terror.

Unfortunately, there may never be full justice through a fair international tribunal. There is, however, hope that a fair finding by the Dutch Safety Board and by the Joint Investigation Team of Dutch, Australian, Belgian, Malaysian and Ukrainian detectives, will provide some closure.

The asymmetrical response by Russia to the two events, and the inability of the international community to fully seek justice for those onboard MH17 and to rein in a global power are, however, sobering reminders that in the world of politics and diplomacy, power does pay off.

AMANDA L TAN is a Malaysian student currently pursuing her MPA at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University.