When Yasir Arafat took the podium at the United Nations wearing his traditional headdress and a pistol in his belt it was a symbolic coup for the PLO. More importantly, it signalled recognition of the guerrilla fighter as a major factor in international politics. Today, guerrilla warfare has become endemic throughout the world. In theatres from Northern Ireland to Sri Lanka, from Spain to the Sudan, from Nicaragua to Angola small bands of men and women fight the forces of the establishment in a desperate struggle for survival. Based on travels to the war fronts where guerrillas live and die, this book explores their lives and thoughts. It is a world where everyone carries arms, a world which has developed a complex social structure and ethical code in the absence of political solutions. The author has travelled widely amongst the warrior tribes, risking much to get close to these enigmatic fighters who live their lives in the midst of death. In many areas he is the first Westerner to have been granted access to the well-guarded guerrilla leaders.