"It's a fierce division," said Jack Ramsay, the Pacer coach now in his 21st N.B.A. coaching season.

It all recalls to an American visitor in Europe the fierce divisions and squabbles between the independent American states in the 18th century.

The predominantly Tutsi residents of Bujumbura, many of whom have been living as if their country were whole, have suddenly been forced to confront the fierce ethnic divisions that they thought the peace accord had solved.

The novel also elicited fierce critical division, with some critics praising DeLillo's take on the Kennedy assassination while others decried it.

Within the opposition Labor Party, there is fierce division over what the country's nuclear policy should be.

That fierce division of opinion, most apparent in Bolivia, the most protectionist nation in the region, is echoed across Latin America - and it is driven by persistent poverty.

By acquiring Gedman, the Tigers would deprive Boston, their fiercest division rival and last year's league champions, of a crucial defensive weapon.

But neither of these overwrought images of fierce division captures today's more complex reality.

Dictator Assad counted his rusty tanks, compared his forces with those of the fierce Turkish divisions, and chose survival.

But the country's fierce divisions were evident, with pro-apartheid whites and conservative blacks threatening to boycott multi-racial elections.