19 ing over civil servants’ appointments. Readmission of the Afghan deportees from Europe needs to be understood within this context. The Joint Way Forward focuses on three important but interconnected elements: deportation of failed Afghan asylum seekers; reduction, containment and ultimately prevention of Afghan flight to Europe; and a small reintegration intervention to keep critical elements quiet and retain some leverage on the practices of the original country of the refugees. These elements are largely aligned with the way in which the Afghan government strategically engages with refugee issues. However, these elements stand in stark contrast with the way in which the Afghan deportees interviewed view the security situation in Afghanistan and the way they look at their flight to Europe. These views are explained in more details below. Escalating violence and war Armed violence has escalated at a fast pace during the last decade and the conflict has reached the peripheries of major urban centres hitherto considered stable and peaceful. The risk of being killed or injured as a result of frequent attacks and fighting between conflicting parties are too high to ignore. This generalised violence, highlighted by major assaults and operation by either side, has increased threat levels and fuelled a sense of insecurity and instability amongst the population. Shrinking opportunities Increased violence and decreasing international interests have contributed to a dramatic reduction of opportunities, raised poverty levels and unemployment rate. This refutes the government standing. Specific threats Individuals face a specific set of threats because of the nature of their association with certain work, groups and (mainly political) ideas. The government is unable to protect individuals facing specific concerns, challenges and problems. Mechanism to Express Grievance The Afghan government has done nothing to tackle the grievances of the deportees from Europe. Instead, it has contributed to them by harassing some of the deportees at the airport. The only assistance that the deportees have received, has been small amount of cash by the deporting countries. There is no uniform pattern of cash payment across the European deporting countries. Each country has its own practices. What is important is that the accumulated grievances of the deportees remain unresolved. The central question is how these grievances and resentment could be expressed and to what extent the expression of these grievances could delegitimise and destabilise the Afghan state. After all, 98% of 50 deportees, which could be illustrative of a broader sample of the deportee population, view the Afghan state responsible for their deportation and their subsequent problem of security, indebtedness, unemployment and trauma.