Or would we find ourselves in a region torn and blasted by opposing forces, our generators ruined, the hull burst open, ourselves turned into radiant energy?

Yet it also holds an exemplary position in a region torn by ethnic strife and civil war.

There are no forensic laboratories in that region, torn by war for months now, so a more conclusive examination will have to occur in Ingushetia, which borders Chechnya.

Adding a potentially explosive element to a region already torn apart by ethnic conflicts and economic hardship, Hungary is promoting autonomy for the three million ethnic Hungarians who live in neighboring countries.

During the turbulent times of 16th and 17th centuries, Zaporizhia was a highly unstable region, subject to constant incursions by the Ottoman Empire, torn by warfare as well as internal strife.

Mr. Moi's decision will seriously affect the prospect for peace in a region torn by ethnic strife, human rights officials and diplomats say.

Nestled between Togo and Ivory Coast, Ghana is one of the few bright spots in a region torn by civil war and corrupt despots.

But the country's biggest problem in regard to economic development is that it lies in the heart of Central America, a region torn by war.

In Europe the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia has paid an immensely important role in bringing justice to a region torn apart by a series of savage wars.

The Middle Eastern nation of Qatar has been described as a rock of stability and moderation in a region torn by conflict.