In fact, Western political and economic structures are, in some ways, specifically designed to resist deep and rapid change, if only to prevent temporary and reversible fluctuations from having an undue influence on underlying systems. This works well when politics and economies are operating in cyclical mode, as they usually have been in the West.
事实上，西方的政治和经济架构在某些方面上就是专门设计来抵制深层次及快速变革的，只能用来防止那些对基本体制造成不当影响的临时性和可逆性波动。这种做法在政治和经济都运行于西方常见的周期性模式中时可以奏效。可一旦出现今天这种重大结构性长期性挑战时，发达国家的制度架构就摇身一变成为了实施有效行动的主要障碍。