Egypt has yet to reclaim its position regionally “while power and influence shift east to wealthy and assertive Gulf oil exporters,” Nadine Awadalla and John Davison write for Reuters. “As long as Egypt faces internal security problems and the region is volatile, Cairo will focus on issues close to home such as militants in Gaza and Libya, and an Ethiopian dam that threatens its water supply. Thorny topics such as Palestinian-Israeli peace will take a back seat,” diplomats note. Former Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy says that Egypt for now “will be forced to [handle] the fires that are raging around us because they create a sense of urgency.”

Also worth a quick skim:

• President El Sisi says he is prepared to personally join the forces fighting Daesh, Hamza Hendawi writes for the Associated Press.
• The Cyber Crimes Act “could codify internet censorship practices into national law,” according to the Advox Netizen Report.
• Egyptians’ increasing dependency on opioids is part of a problem unfolding across Africa as a whole that is “not getting the attention it needs,” Quartz says.
• The “deep-seated anti-black racism” in Egypt has prevented Egyptians from understanding and appreciating superhero film Black Panther, Mona Eltahawy writes for the Washington Post.