Roaming around the city, I can observe nothing on civilians' faces; except the sign of big uncertainty and questions about post 2014 era. It is really mind disconcerting to live in state of not being able to make the planning of your future. Security transition by post 2014 hascreated a sort of decision anxiety for the people in Afghanistan. All the welfare activities, business developments, construction projects are in a sort of pause mode and no one dares to step ahead for investing in the country; instead, the major investors are in plan of shifting their businesses abroad.
International Community Members are decreasing their humanitarian aids, the national and international NGOs who have been the sole source of employment are in process of downsizing and the US government is continuously handing the responsibility of their security bases to Afghan National Forces.
Afghan government and its strategic partners are quite positive regarding their last ten years of achievements, but the current security situation and 40% of unemployment rate in the country are the red signs of warning that negatively flash the red light on achievements of the last decade.
It is not only the Taliban who threaten stability of the state; there are many other challenges such as unemployment, lack of appropriate fundamental industrial infrastructures, possibilities of farmers reemergence towards poppy cultivations and high level of illiteracy rate are the considerable challenges that are warning the nation and government. Afghanistan, along being the focal point of International Community for the last ten years is still considered the most vulnerable state as the US-led army is planning to withdraw. The country's fundamental infrastructure bases are still rudimentary and the state is industrially and financially dependent upon neighboring countries that puts its stability highly dependent.
The Strategic Partnership Agreement between the two states assures America's presence in the region by post 2014, but it does not mean an end to sufferings in Afghanistan, because the neighboring countries such as Iran, Russia and China are not much pleased with America's presence in the region.
War against Terrorism is nothing more than a legitimate reason of the game behind the scene. In fact, it is a great game of politics among the super-powers which has unfortunately grounded Afghanistan as its base. In order to keep America busy within Afghanistan the neighboring countries will try their level best to maintain Taliban on the scene to create troubles for Afghanistan so as to garner the US officials' attention not further than Afghan borders.
The neighboring countries doubt the presence of America in the region. For example the reaction of Iranian officials in Kabul regarding the approval of Strategic Partnership Agreement between Afghanistan and America represented a clear view of the neighboring countries that how faithful they are with Afghanistan.
Iranian government used to oppose the Sunnimilitant (Taliban) government in Afghanistan, but as the presence of America in the region is analyzed a greater warning than Taliban for Iran's Nuclear programs' security, the stateis in plan of sheltering Taliban in its territories in Zahedan city.
According to a piece of report quoted by the Western official in an article that Tehran Builds on Outreach to Taliban, "Iran, a Shitte theocracy wasn't so friendly with the Sunni Taliban government ousted by the U.S in 2001 and had not permitted an official Taliban presence in the country up to now. But these days both sides are trying to put aside ideological values and put hands in glove in order to face their elder uncle in the region. Iran and Taliban are both on the same boat and consider America as their bigger enemy."
There have been reports that Iran was supporting militants in Afghanistan in the past as well. But it was not as openly as it seems to be after 2014. Permitting Taliban to have their office in Zahedan and issuing new laws of no movement zones for Afghan refugees are the signs of officially countering USA and its alliances in the region. The same as Iran, the other neighboring countries will not hesitate to create troubles for USA in the region. They will support Iran's strategies of rivaling USA's presence, but will not appear on the scene as clearly as Iran.
Furthermore, security challenges will remain one of the main threats for future legitimacy of Afghan government, but the other challenges such as unemployment, poppy cultivation and lack of industrial infrastructures will contribute to challenges of post 2014 era.
Since, the state is financially and industrially not capable enough of sufficiently responding to the job seekers' demand, the unemployment rate will undoubtedly rise to its double rate. Afghanistan, despite being the top among the International Community's humanitarian aid receiving countries hosts 35% of unemployment rate which is deemed a great danger for future stability of the state.
The estimation is of year 2008 and was published on CIA's World Fact Book page; in addition, Afghanistan is passing its transitional period along with the closure of ongoing projects, the graph may double till the end of 2014.
International Community has passed around $60 billion bill to Afghanistan up to now. But alas, due to lack of capacity and high corruption rate, the funds are not spent efficiently. The majority of the funds instead of being invested on reconstructing the fundamental infrastructures such as the extraction of the natural resources that could lead the country's economy towards stability and independency are billed for security and to the high ranked government officials' bank accounts.
As a result, after ten years of sacrificing thousands of innocent lives, and tolerating a bloodshed era, unemployment in the country is still up to its top level and is considered a tough challenge for upcoming government.
Simultaneously, as for as Taliban's source of finance is concerned, poppy cultivation and drug trafficking in Taliban dominated zones have been the sole source of budgeting their rivalries during the last decade and during 1996 era. Afghan government along with the cooperation of International Community by spending billions of dollar have been struggling to introduce an alternative to poppy cultivation, but unfortunately have not been able to eliminate the culture of poppy cultivation and drug trafficking among the farmers, particularly in southern regions.
Drug production is no doubt a threat butaddiction to it, on the other hand, can put thousands and millions of live in danger. Drug addiction which roots as a result of poverty and illiteracy is one of the most terribly treating challenges that Afghan society has been battling with.
"There are around one million Afghans who forms 8% total population of the country are drug addicted," reported by UN Drug and Crimes Office. Opium trade has been one of the sole sources of funds for Taliban during the last ten years. Despite spending billions of dollars in Afghanistan, International Community could not manage the funds properly.
The chances of reemergence for poppy cultivation among the Afghan farmers are highly considerable. Considering drug addiction figures in UNODC reports, drug addiction threatens millions of life in Afghanistan and seems to be more dangerous enemy than Taliban.
Finally, it is the poor people of Afghanistan to suffer the miseries and pay the price of war against terrorism along being the host of the war. It is the people of Afghanistan who are being sacrificed and labeled as terrorists as result of war. It is the people of Afghanistan who are supposed to tolerate another era of hunger and misfortunes.