But we have to be more nuanced and examine the evolution in the CD in the light of the present international conjuncture.

Historians tell us that the Luddites were victims of a temporary conjuncture of rising prices and falling wages that threatened them with starvation in a society with minimal welfare provision. The Luddites, however, blamed their misfortune on the machines themselves.

Now a unique conjuncture of economic and political developments has created an opportunity for Eurasia to emerge from its historical slumbers. In recent years, Western self assurance was humbled by the financial crisis of 2008 2009 and political catastrophes in the Middle East.