1.   He searched for ways of defusing racial tension.

2.   The agreement was regarded as a means of defusing ethnic tensions.

3.   They know how helpful tears are to defuse tension and how constructive their aftermath can be.

4.   You can always bank on Ally McCoist to defuse the tension.

5.   India and Pakistan each withdrew troops from their common border in early June in an attempt to defuse tension caused by the unrest in Kashmir.

6.   The observers helped to defuse tension and, according to an official of a regional peace committee, made everyone behave better.

7.   It, too, has been trying to defuse tensions.

8.   Amid the anger and anxiety since the fire, some people have asked if the church could have taken a more active posture to defuse the tensions.

9.   And by tying Asia and the United States closer together, an APEC trade agreement would help to defuse political tensions.