Western diplomats say they were confused by China's initial attempt to have Mr. Devillers extradited from Cambodia as it was certain to have met fierce resistance from the French government and the European Union.

WSJ: Cambodia Frees Frenchman Linked to China Scandal

SEPI, Izar's state holding company, recently had to postpone plans to split the loss-making Izar group's four military and six civilian shipyards into separate companies because of fierce resistance to the job cuts involved.

ECONOMIST: The French want to consolidate Europe's naval yards

And fierce public resistance to eroding generous worker and consumer protections has made governments unwilling, or unable, to implement the kinds of deep structural reforms that could help.

ECONOMIST: Can this union be saved?

Resistance to this is fierce, and may account for much of the recent drop in his popularity.

ECONOMIST: France

It has resisted immediately imposing losses on bondholders, yet insists they must share the pain from 2013 and has started to discuss lengthening debt maturities despite fierce resistance from the European Central Bank.

ECONOMIST: Germany continues to dither over how best to rescue the euro

Supporters of her successor, Fidel Ramos, had also wanted to tinker with the constitution but ran into fierce resistance.

ECONOMIST: The Philippines

Back in 1997, the then free-market-friendly Republican state Senate and the then free-market-friendly state governor, George Pataki, tried to get rid of rent restraints, but ran into fierce resistance from the Democrat-controlled assembly.

ECONOMIST: Housing in New York City

But it has met fierce political opposition and has been badly bruised as resistance to free trade persists on both sides of the Atlantic.

ECONOMIST: Paulson's progress

Although Iraqi paramilitary fighters were putting up fierce resistance, the suburbs and parts of the city appeared to be in coalition control.

CNN: Complex found bulging with food in hungry city