Trump may have met his match in Mexico's new president

ANDRES Manuel Lopez Obrador has secured a landmark presidential victory for the political left in Mexico, South America's second largest economy. His victory adds a new anti-establishment edge to global politics, albeit this time of a left-wing variety in this key G-20 state, with potential diplomatic fireworks on the horizon with US President Donald Trump.

For significant as Mr Lopez Obrador's election will be for Mexico, the international relations implications are potentially profound too, with the peso currency recently languishing close to historic lows against the US dollar. The leftist populist has positioned himself as a big Trump critic and of his "campaign of hatred" against Mexicans, opening up multiple flashpoints with the US president, including over trade and immigration.

Take the example of immigration, where clashes over Mr Trump's proposed US-Mexico border wall are highly likely. Earlier this year, Mr Lopez Obrador launched a new book, Listen Up, Trump - a compilation of speeches he gave in a tour of US cities - where he addressed migrant rights for the estimated 35 million people of Mexican descent living in the US.