"If anything, he may have to take a hard-line policy as a way of proving himself to challengers or to these senior leaders, " Mr. Klinger said.

WSJ: Kim Jong Eun: Portrait of New Leader Takes Shape

Canada's National Post says the Republicans faltered on their hard-line on immigrant policy in its commentary on their election losses.

CNN: Highlights from the world's press

There are many reasons for the government's hard-line defence of its one-child policy.

ECONOMIST: China's population

But his weakest spot is foreign policy, where he is not thoughtful but reflexively hard-line.

WSJ: Romney Wins but Takes a Beating

For his part Mr Prodi, who first lost power in 1998 after hard-line Communists had refused to back his government's public-finance policy, is clearly determined not to let it happen again.

ECONOMIST: The centre-left holds on for now; can Silvio Berlusconi?

On the line are the fruits of countless hard-won battles in which the Center for Security Policy has played an important, and occasionally decisive, role.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: A message from Frank Gaffney

Leading the fight are the two titans of American foreign policy: the moderate and isolated Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and the hard-line Pentagon boss, Donald Rumsfeld.

CNN: Clash of the administration titans

There is little doubt the paramilitaries support Mr Uribe's candidacy, but they would support anyone with his message of a get-tough policy against their hated enemies the Marxist guerrillas, and there is no evidence that the hard-line candidate has any links with them.

BBC: Profile: Alvaro Uribe Velez