The public in Afghanistan is increasingly growing skeptical to the future of the country. The deteriorating security situation and the declining economy are believed to be key factors behind the loss of public confidence in the country. According to reports, the trend of migration of Afghan citizens to neighboring countries and elsewhere is increasing by each day, getting out of control of the government. In recent month, officials at the passport directorate have been struggling to cope with the sharp increase of applications for passport. The officials have warned that unless specific measures are taken, the issue would turn into a serious problem in the country. On the other hand, polls carried out to assess performance of the National Unity Government suggest that the level of public satisfaction over performance of the new government is extremely low with only about 20 percent happy with the government’s performance.

The staggering rise of migration of Afghans and the critically low popularity of the new government are only few indications of how the public see the current situation and predict the future. These are clear signal of loss of public confidence to the performance of the National Unity Government (NUG) and the security condition of the country. Obviously, the most important factor behind the growing public concerns regarding the future is the continued war and violence in the country. Afghanistan has witnessed decades of violence and the people are desperate for finding peace and stability in the country. The Afghan public, who has grew weary of the interminable violence in the country, is seeing the future in the same way they have seen the past. The hopes of the people for a prosperous future and peaceful life are dashed by a prolonged conflict between the government and the militant groups.

The majority of Afghans now do not feel secure as the widespread insecurity is taking lives of civilians and military personnel each day. People are worried about safety and security of their children and family members and fear of their sons and daughters being deprived of education due to the prolonged instability in the country. In big cities, security concerns have become daily worries of the people. The new Taliban offensive in 2015 and sharp increase in level of violence across the country have considerably worsened the situation, impacting public views. In last two years, violence has expanded into larger swathes of the country, engulfing areas that were previously considered as relatively secure. This year the militants managed to expand the war into the Northern provinces and start to wage a bloody campaign against the government of Afghanistan. At the same time, different militant groups with ambiguous motives have emerged in eastern provinces. The deteriorating security has left the public with the notion that the new government is incapable of fighting the insurgency and maintaining security.  The ongoing crisis in the country obscures Afghanistan’s future as there is no prospect of resoling the long-lasting conflict in a near future. The Afghan peace process seems to have stalled after the recent developments with the Taliban’s leadership and the worsened relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Despite some considerable progresses regarding the peace efforts, a peaceful settlement of the conflict remains a distant goal for the government of Afghanistan. It is quite difficult to see if the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban as the main insurgent group share any common ground over how and by what deal-makings to resolve the conflict. Given the unstated preconditions of the two sides in the recent talks, it is difficult to assume a ground for negotiations and a possible agreement between the insurgents and the Afghan government. Given the geostrategic developments in the region and the multi-faceted crises in the region and the Muslim world, the level of violence is likely to further increase in the country. This could potentially exacerbate the current worries of the citizens regarding the future of the country.

Watching the spreading violence and insecurity in the region and the Middle East, there is a visible panic among the public over security of the country. With chaos in many Middle Eastern countries propelling millions to seek shelter in other countries and continents, Afghans are also joining the global trend of migration into Europe and neighboring countries. The panic stemmed from global crises and the current trend of migration seems to be playing a key role in driving Afghans to leave the country in search of protection and employment. The current panic would inevitably continue until the global trend of migration is curbed or the economic and security conditions inside are improved.

Afghanistan’s lagging economic recovery is known as another major factor turning the people skeptical to their future. With the withdrawal of the NATO-led international forces, the flow of international aid declined considerably, affecting Afghanistan’s economy which was already under strain from the prolonged conflict and the controversial presidential elections. With the economic recession and decline of international aid beginning as early as in 2013, many Afghans lost their sources of making a living while others faced increased financial challenges. This is while the rate of unemployment in the country has risen exponentially. In this circumstance it is quite natural to see more and more people leave the country in search of employment and protection from wars and violence.

The fact is various factors are playing roles in the worrisome trend of public dissatisfaction with the existing situation in the country. The public expectation in Afghanistan has been increased by the leaders of the National Unity Government through the last election campaigns. It is now crucially difficult for the government to meet an increased public expectation coincided with the two major political and security transitions in the country. But there is no alternative for the Afghan government. It should be able to improve the security and economic situations or the crisis would further deepen.