But while the setup is lumpy, the conflicts explode in consistently intriguing ways.

Ethnic conflicts do not explode on their own.

When their father falls into a coma and inches toward death, internal conflicts explode and the familial battles become as merciless as the outside war.

After independence was achieved in 1948 and Mr. Ben-Gurion became Israel's leader, their conflict exploded frequently.

The conflict explodes into a mob riot, and Olympion and Gayle die in the violence.

And minor conflicts could explode later.

In August, the conflicts exploded into a 12-hour battle, when scores of officers tried to enforce a 1 A.M. curfew in the park.

It would be impossible for the affluent to live in peace if conflict after conflict exploded in the third world.

The conflict exploded last week when executives at Google said it and more than 30 other American companies had come under sophisticated attacks from hackers.

There is now a widespread fear that the regional conflict will explode into a full-scale civil war.