Sentence:  Regardless of rights and wrongs , a population and an <WSD>area</WSD> appropriate to a pre World War I , great power have been , following conquest , ruled against their will by a neighboring people , and have had imposed upon them social and economic controls they dislike . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)