Mr Fox is still enjoying the goodwill that follows an electoral victory, but if his democratic changes do not reach the remoter parts of Mexico, and in particular if the delicate negotiations with the Zapatists fail, frustration in the backwaters may grow, feeding isolated guerrilla activity.

ECONOMIST: Mexico

"Most probably, the negotiations in Almaty will fail, " said Hossein Mousavian, who served as Iran's nuclear negotiator until 2005.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Fianna Fail was in power in the Republic continuously from 1997 to 2011, and was heavily involved in the Good Friday Agreement negotiations which helped to set up Northern Ireland's devolved administration at Stormont.

BBC: Micheal Martin