をめぐって details

をめぐって

over; surrounding N (a dispute or contested issue)

あの二人ふたり、例れいの噂うわさをめぐって、なんか揉もめてるらしいよ。

ano futari, rei no uwasa o megutte, nanka mometeru rashii yo.

Those two are apparently having some kind of falling-out over that rumor. casual

新あたらしい駅えきの建設けんせつをめぐって、住民じゅうみんの間あいだで意見いけんが分わかれている。

atarashii eki no kensetsu o megutte, juumin no aida de iken ga wakarete iru.

Opinions are divided among residents over the construction of the new station. neutral

Examples

over; concerning — multiple parties dispute or debate a contested issue named by N

あの二人ふたり、例れいの噂うわさをめぐって、なんか揉もめてるらしいよ。

ano futari, rei no uwasa o megutte, nanka mometeru rashii yo.

Those two are apparently having some kind of falling-out over that rumor. casual

新あたらしい駅えきの建設けんせつをめぐって、住民じゅうみんの間あいだで意見いけんが分わかれている。

atarashii eki no kensetsu o megutte, juumin no aida de iken ga wakarete iru.

Opinions are divided among residents over the construction of the new station. neutral

両国りょうこくは、国境こっきょう沿ぞいの島しまの領有りょうゆうをめぐって長年ながねん対立たいりつしてきた。

ryoukoku wa, kokkyouzoi no shima no ryouyuu o megutte naganen tairitsu shite kita.

The two countries have been in conflict for many years over ownership of the island along the border. formal

をめぐり — て-drop for news writing — 領土りょうどをめぐり、両国りょうこくが対立たいりつしている。
をめぐる — modifies a following noun directly — 領土りょうどをめぐる対立たいりつ "a dispute over territory"; をめぐって cannot sit in that slot.

について
Both can gloss loosely as "about/concerning" N, but をめぐって requires N be a CONTESTED issue — a dispute, controversy, or matter people are arguing over (領土をめぐって対立する) — and pairs with confrontational verbs like 争う・対立する・議論する, while について is a neutral topic marker with no adversarial implication (天気について話す) and reads oddly forced onto a genuine conflict.

に対して
Both freely take a person or organization as the noun, but they mark opposite ROLES — をめぐって's noun is the shared PRIZE or point of contention multiple parties are fighting OVER (社長をめぐって対立する "clash over who becomes president"; 一人の女性をめぐって二人が争った), while に対して's noun is the party an attitude or action is directed AT (社長に対して抗議する "protest directed at the president") — swap them and をめぐって turns the president into the antagonist rather than the prize.