Sentence:  A nation such as Switzerland could be neutralized by agreement and could be relied upon to protect its neutrality ; more doubtful , but possible , ( with an assist from the <WSD>North</WSD> ) was the neutralization of the Latin American countries ; out of the question was the neutralization of Asia and Africa . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a location in the northern part of a country, region, or city