Cutting the Ikhwan out of the picture leaves room for greater threats: While their strength does represent a threat to the United States, pushing the Ikhwan entirely off the board “may snowball into a far more perilous status quo,” as it creates room for ultra-extremist groups to advance. A recent research report from the CIA, picked up by Asharq Al-Awsat, argues that (as Hosni Mubarak had in the days before his ouster) the Ikhwan “are an essential curbing factor for all extremist groups,” although “CIA intelligence experts have warned as well that the fundamentalist organization cannot be trusted.” The report suggests that the Mubarak-era paradigm of a half-baked alliance with the group might be best.

International coverage of Egypt also included:

• A statement from Egypt’s prosecutor general picked up by The Associated Press and Reuters announcing that Italian authorities will send experts to examine footage from the Dokki metro station on the day Regeni;
• Talks of moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the disputed Jerusalem could trigger a backlash from Washington’s Middle Eastern allies, including Egypt, Saudi, and Jordan, who are pivotal to its fight against Daesh, says NYT report;
• Reuters is running a piece on the reopening of Cairo’s Museum of Islamic Art;
• The Hollywood Reporter reviews Egyptian political thriller “The Nile Hilton Incident,” which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.