Start with COVID-19 and its long tail. Conflicts to Watch in 2021 Paul Stares Council on Foreign Relations January 20, 2021 A crisis stemming from North Korea’s continued development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile testing is the top-ranked conflict concern for 2021, according to the Council on Foreign Relations’ (CFR) thirteenth annual Preventive Priorities Survey . When the pandemic first broke out, many – myself included – feared that it would have immediate, potentially devastating consequences in developing countries, especially those facing deadly conflict. COVID-19 is compounding what was already the worst economic crisis to hit Syria since the conflict began. Top Conflicts to Watch in 2021: What's Next for Syria Turkey-backed Syrian rebel fighters walk in a field of flowers in Idlib, Syria, on April 15, 2020. legacies will likely continue to plague the new year: COVID-19, economic downturns, erratic U.S. policies and destructive wars that diplomacy did not stop. The Top Global Conflicts to Watch in 2021. 2021 will likely be plagued by unresolved legacies of the old: COVID-19, economic downturns, erratic U.S. policies and destructive wars that diplomacy did not stop. The Top Conflicts to Watch in 2021 “There are many potential international clashes that the incoming Joe Biden administration must be particularly mindful of, especially given its desire to focus on bringing the novel coronavirus pandemic under control,” said Paul B. The conflict in the northwest is the most likely trigger for major instability in 2021. IN 2021. Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations January 17, 2021. But its unresolved . CONFLICTS. 10 Conflicts to Watch in 2021 “If there were a contest for the 2020 event with the most far-reaching implications for global peace and security, the field would be crowded. Conflict levels in 2020 slightly decreased from 2019 in all regions except Africa.Still, many conflicts continued unabated despite the global COVID-19 pandemic, and several took on new dimensions as actors responded to the health crisis. Syrian women and children will be particularly affected by the continuing impact of COVID-19. AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File. In 2021, the world will be dealing with the aftermath and sifting through the debris. Crisis Group’s President Robert Malley lists the Ten Conflicts to Watch in 2021. Khalil Ashwai/Reuters TO WATCH. The world has gratefully turned the page on the gloom of 2020. Ten Conflicts to Watch in 2021 According to a report by Robert Malley, President and CEO of International Crisis Group, published on Foreign Policy , the War on Tigray is one of the 10 conflicts the world should watch in 2021: