With the arrival of the new Gregorian year and the entry into 2026, millions of people around the world, albeit with different concerns and anxieties, are thinking about the future. In the Chinese calendar, 2026 is known as the “Year of the Horse,” a symbol of movement, dynamism and the effort to break out of stagnation. In East Asian culture, the horse represents change, courage and forward motion—a year often associated with major decisions and breaking away from static conditions. The previous year was the Year of the Wooden Snake, which is said to symbolize prudence and wisdom.
Yet alongside this symbolic and hopeful outlook, other narratives about humanity’s future are also being put forward—narratives that speak not of new beginnings, but of an endpoint.
Predictions of the end of the world; scientific warning or exaggeration?
Over past decades, various prophecies and theories about the end of the world have been raised, from Nostradamus and Baba Vanga to some contemporary scientists. Among these perspectives, the theory of Heinz von Foerster, the Austrian–American physicist, holds a special place because it was not based on prophecy but on mathematical calculations of population growth.
In 1950, von Foerster warned that if human population growth and resource consumption continued unchecked, human civilization would reach a critical point—a point he estimated to be around the year 2026. In his view, scientific progress and increased prosperity, if not accompanied by resource management and responsibility, could turn into factors for humanity’s gradual destruction.
For many people around the world, such warnings still remain theoretical. But for countries like Afghanistan, living in a “state of crisis” has for years been a daily reality.
2025; a world under the shadow of war, crisis and uncertainty
The year 2025 was a tense and unstable one for the world. Ongoing wars in the Middle East and Europe, rising numbers of refugees, humanitarian crises and the consequences of climate change shaped the international environment. According to estimates by international organizations, more than 120 million people worldwide were displaced due to war, poverty or natural disasters.
The global economy, while avoiding full recession, faced slow growth, high inflation in many countries and widening inequality. At the same time, natural disasters—including floods, droughts and earthquakes—once again highlighted humanity’s vulnerability in the face of nature.
Afghanistan in 2025; accumulated crises
Afghanistan once again experienced one of its most difficult periods in 2025. According to United Nations estimates, around 23 million people in the country required humanitarian assistance. Economic stagnation, widespread unemployment, declining foreign aid and social restrictions placed immense pressure on the lives of millions of citizens.
That year also saw the large-scale and largely forced return of millions of migrants from Iran and Pakistan. Many of these families had lived in neighboring countries for years, and their sudden return—without preparation or adequate infrastructure—placed additional strain on the labor market, social services and the country’s limited resources.
As in the previous three years, schools above grade six and universities remained closed to girls throughout the year.
The Taliban not only failed to reduce social and political pressures on the population, but intensified them.
During the year, the Taliban even prevented women working for United Nations agencies from assisting returning migrants at border areas.
Alongside these challenges, 2025 was marked by two deadly earthquakes in eastern and northern Afghanistan. These earthquakes left thousands dead and injured and destroyed thousands of homes. Many families who were already living in poverty suddenly lost their shelter and joined the ranks of those in urgent need of aid.
These natural disasters once again showed how vulnerable Afghanistan is to crises and how a single natural event can intensify an existing humanitarian emergency.
The world’s fears and hopes in 2026
As the world stands on the threshold of 2026, it looks to the future with both fear and hope. Fear of continued wars, worsening climate crises and economic pressure—and hope that diplomacy, technological advances and international cooperation can help contain some of these challenges.
The Year of the Horse, in this context, symbolizes the necessity of movement—conscious and responsible movement, not hasty and costly action.
The fears and hopes of the Afghan people
For the people of Afghanistan, fears and hopes are far more grounded. Fear of deepening poverty, unemployment, continued restrictions and the country’s inability to absorb millions of returnees. But alongside these fears exist simple yet profound hopes:
Hope for lasting security and a better life;
Hope for jobs and livelihoods;
Hope for children’s education, especially girls’;
Hope that Afghanistan will once again emerge from isolation;
Hope for freedom and the creation of a system of governance in which people can at least see themselves reflected.
For the people of Afghanistan, 2026 is not the year of the end of the world, but a year that must determine whether life will become slightly better or pressures will grow heavier.
The Year of the Horse in the Chinese calendar symbolizes movement and change. 2026 may not be the end of the world, but it could mark the end of indifference toward crises. For Afghanistan, this year could either be a continuation of the exhausting path of the past, or the beginning of small but necessary steps toward survival and reconstruction.
In a world filled with apocalyptic predictions, the hope of the Afghan people is tied not to the end of the world, but to the continuation of life with dignity.
The responsibility for the content of opinion articles published in the Opinions section of Amu TV lies with their authors.
