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Arab Spring Lessons to Kazakhstan

It is too early to label the protests in Kazakhstan as a revolution. However, the quickly evolving turmoil inside the geographically-vast and politically-loose Turkic country, and the regime-facilitated intervention of Russian forces to suppress the protests, are serious indicators that the hardline regime in Kazakhstan is on the edge of the cliff.
The current turbulences in Kazakhstan are very reminiscent of the early days of the Tunisian revolution, which erupted in later 2010/early 2011, and inspired the sweeping wave of Arab Spring revolutions that forever changed the face of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Measuring on the lessons learnt from the successful and failure cases of the Arab Spring, we can draw expectations about the situation in Kazakhstan and whether the popular anger may extend to other Turkic countries, which are also suffering from administrative corruption and economic pitfalls, to create a “Turkic Spring” of some kind.
In that sense, it is important to ask whether Kazakhstan is becoming “the Egypt” or “the Syria” of the Arab Spring. In other words, will the Kazakh regime prioritize preserving the coherence of the nation-state and gives up the political leadership, or will the Kazakh regime exaggerate the use of violent power to suppress the protests fast, even though this could lead to dismantling the nation-state and prompt an infinite cycle of political and security chaos.
Building on similar instances from the Arab Spring (2010-2011) and the revolutions of Eastern and Central Europe (1980s - 1990s), three main factors should define the answer to this critical question about Kazakhstan. The First factor has to do with the reaction of the regime to the growing and persistent protests, and how far the regime will go with using violent repression to control the public insurrection. The second factor is the behavior of the protesters in terms with their collective nonviolent discipline and their willingness to settle to or reject the compromises offered by the regime. The third, and most decisive, factor is about the interaction of the armed forces, either the military power or the police forces, with the protesters and the level of sympathy they have, or lack of, towards the legitimacy of the protests and the demands of the protesters.
Between the success and failure of Arab Spring countries in surviving the revolutions aftermath, the main determining factor was the military. That is; the strength and popularity of the military institution among the protesters, the political and economic independence of the armed forces from the hardline regime, and the strategy employed by the military institution to contain the popular protests after the removal of the corrupt state officials. The cooperative military response, in the case of Egypt and Tunisia, to the nonviolent dissent, in comparison to the repressive military response to the nonviolent protests in Yemen, Syria, Libya, and even Iran, made the whole difference between the failure and the success of the Arab Spring revolutions and their aftermath.
Military cooperation, in the aforementioned cases of the Arab Spring, does not necessarily mean that the military believed in the goals and legitimacy of the revolutions. But, even the “negative” cooperation of the military, by choosing not to kill or violently repress the protesters in obedience to regime orders, allowed the nonviolent protests to continue mobilizing supporters and thus growing the protests and undermining the legitimacy of the authoritarian regime. The relationship that was developed between the Egyptian military and liberal democratic revolutionists throughout the eighteen days of protests in Egypt’s Tahrir Square, in 2011, was a determining factor in accelerating and smoothing the process of removing the authoritarian regime.
In Kazakhstan today, the scenario is even more complicated. The current President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, is only a figurehead to the former dictator, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has ruled the country since announcing its independence in 1991, and continued to rule from behind the scenes since the fraudulent election of Tokayev in 2017. The Kazakh Armed has been weakened, over decades, due to regime corruption. The many United States initiatives to provide technical and financial aid to the Kazakh military, during the early years of U.S. intervention in Afghanistan, did not lead to any tangible improvements in the Kazakh army, which is still highly dependent on and loyal to the Russian military. Russia is Kazakhstan’s top resource for armament, and the personnel of the Kazakhstan army receive their training and education in Russia.
So far, dozens of protesters have been killed and hundreds got injured, as Tokayev ordered the security forces to shoot fire on the protesters without warning. As we have seen in the Arab Spring, Tokayev violence backfired by increasing the number of protesters and the geographic scale of protests. Therefore, on January 7th, Tokayev requested Russia intervention per the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Immediately, Russia deployed 2500 troops to Kazakhstan to suppress the protests. Sadly, it is highly expected that the Kazakh military will cooperate with the Russian troops on killing the Kazakh people, to repeat the horrible scenario of the Syrian Arab Spring revolution.
BY: Dalia Ziada
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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