In its annual outlook for 2020, crisis group C's a global system undergoing sweeping change. Rivalry among major powers is intensifying. Regional powers are at once emboldened and frightened by the emerging order. Often leaders see crises as opportunities to advance their interests or hurt their rivals. Yet in many places, crisis group C's ways to calm violence and reduce human suffering. Here are 10 conflicts to watch this year. 2020 has already brought tensions between the United States and Iran to boiling point. A diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Tehran seems unlikely, but more modest truth to de-escalate tensions and avoid both a nuclear and regional crisis could still be achieved. In Afghanistan, more people die as a result of fighting than in any other conflict in the world. Yet the United States and the Taliban could still make a deal that sets the stage for peace talks among Afghans. Recent talks between Saudi Arabia and Houthi rebels provide a window for peace in Yemen and relief for the world's worst humanitarian crisis. But that window could close soon, especially if heightening U.S. Iran tensions spill into Yemen. Ethiopia's transition under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed remains a source of hope. But as ethnic strives surges, some warn that the country could fracture, as Yugoslavia did in the 1990s, with disastrous consequences for an already troubled region. The Qinafaso is the latest country in Africa's Sahel region to fall victim to Islamist militancy. Violence has spread across many rural areas and risks spilling south to countries on the Gulf of Guinea. Foreign powers have upped their involvement in Libya, making attempts to reach a peace deal more difficult. The result is likely to be either a destructive stalemate or a takeover of the capital triply that prolongs militia fighting. Prospects for diplomacy seem to be dimming after North Korea lifted its moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile testing at the end of 2019. Yet both parties stand to lose from a return to the hostile rhetoric and actions of 2017. 2019 saw a dangerous flare-up over disputed Kashmir between nuclear armed India and Pakistan as New Delhi revoked the region's semi-autonomous status. The gravest danger in 2020 is that a militant attack triggers a new escalation. In Venezuela, President Maduro's government has weathered a civil military uprising, a regional boycott and US sanctions. But it remains isolated, and 7 million Venezuelans need humanitarian aid. The government seizure of the opposition controlled parliament in early 2020 puts resolution of the crisis further out of reach. Last, a new president in Ukraine has brought fresh energy to ending the six-year-old conflict with Russian-backed separatists in the east, but plenty could go wrong if the current ceasefire collapses and fighting escalates. These are crisis groups top 10 conflicts to watch in the air ahead. We will be making every effort to bring peace to these and many other crises worldwide.