Interestingly, it is precisely Muslim oil-producing states — Libya, Saudi Arabia, Iran, (mostly Muslim) Kazakhstan, Malaysia — that seem the best at spreading their alignments across some combination of the Big Three simultaneously: getting what they want while fending off encroachment from others.
History provides a precedent: it was to fend off Soviet encroachment that America, under President Truman, provided aid to Greece in the aftermath of the second world war.
"This is something state legislatures have an interest in pursuing," he said, "because it helps them fend off federal encroachment and gives them a seat at the table when Congress is proposing what to do".
By lifting the restrictions, Mr. Thain hopes that the combination of an enhanced electronic trading platform, combined with the expertise of the exchange's specialists, will fend off further encroachments from electronic competitors.
After Gov. Jerry Brown's recent (but ultimately unsuccessful) attempts to micromanage the state's public four-year institutions of higher education, UC needs a strong voice in Sacramento to fight for funding and fend off further encroachments on the university's academic independence.
The actual relationship, of course, has always had its share of cavities and gingivitis, and the Vietnamese have been fending off various Chinese encroachments for a thousand years.
But when it comes to fending off the encroachment into the luxury marketers, Warren said that the companys history with those marketers and the kinds of readers they want to reach will hold.
For the past decade and a half, Murdoch has been trying to fend off what he sees as the encroachment of a European superstate.
These attacks were fended off.
Fended off Lucy's amorous overtures.
