Diplomatic torpor usually reigns in the region : last week , when the elected president of one member country , the maldives , was toppled in a coup , there was a resounding silence from the neighbours .
" However , unlike hibernation and torpor , " siegel said , " sleep is rapidly reversible -- that is , animals can wake up quickly , a unique mammalian adaptation that allows for a relatively quick response to sensory signals . "
Diplomatic torpor usually reigns in the region : last week when the elected president of one member country the maldives was toppled in a coup there was a resounding silence from the neighbours .
It was only late in the global crisis , when greece admitted to lying about its numbers , that the markets woke up from their torpor into a sudden panic over sovereign risk .
The failure of governments to make progress on a new climate deal in copenhagen last december had already prompted some debate among activists about whether a more confrontational style of campaigning was needed to stir the world from its torpor .