1.   As in all guerrilla conflicts, the question of who is a civilian and who is a fighter is a thorny one.

2.   But the issue of pregnancy and dietary supplements has been a thorny one for the agency, whose reversal Wednesday was its second on the matter.

3.   Council members said the issue is a thorny one for the city.

4.   Still, the question of how to present this past is a thorny one, full of emotion and bitterness.

5.   The conflict between civil liberties and civility is a thorny one that the courts are now grappling with.

6.   The decision is a thorny one for pension fund executives.

7.   The problem of understanding and carefully translating the Arabic voices heard on the tape has been a thorny one.

8.   This issue is a thorny one for the networks, the official said.

9.   For decades, relations between the two Asian rivals have been a thorny one.

10.   The issue has been a thorny one since the Nagano Olympics in February.