Because taking on the smartest and most motivated people, directly, would simply provoke a retaliation that the government could not counter.

The decision was labelled by the Israeli government as a unilateral step, while the Palestinian government countered that it is essential to overcoming the current impasse.

The government countered the BoT's warning by claiming it was just expression of opinion in a technical manner.

The Philippine government countered the revolutionaries by conducting seminars to promote its aims and granting amnesty and awarding land to those who chose to reform.

The government countered by charging the group's president, Morgan Tsvangirai, with treason.

The federal government countered that such a plan would give the state a property windfall by, in effect, turning open sea into inland water.

Strong governments counter it by refusing to pay money or policy ransom to the kidnap-killers.

The government countered that the men had violated laws that protect national and regional flags.

The government countered the protests by drawing its supporters for demonstrations of its own, claiming the film demonstrated normal political bargaining.

The government is countering the Churchill case, claiming that Churchill did not have the correct type of mining licenses.