The Nomadic Alternative – Page 95

remain invisible. Otherwise they are lost. They cannot risk overt attack, but must snipe from cover. Only by preserving their freedom of movement can they impose their will on their opponent. The enemy is most vulnerable either inside the city or in the wilderness. In the city the visible presence of government troops and their exactions fan the resentment of the residents more than the attacks of invisible snipers. In the wilderness the government cannot pro- tect its supply lines from harassment.

Guerilla warfare is the art of the manhunt. The guerilla is a stalker who must get up-wind of the enemy. To avoid being hunted himself he must forage off the country - or the enemy itself. "One cartload of the enemy's provisions is worth twenty of one's own", says Sun Tzu. The principal cause of the Hunnish and Mongol cavalry's effectiveness was its self-sufficiency. Riders drank the milk of their mares, ate rough roots and grasses and sucked the blood of their mounts for extra protein. Herodotus admired the Scythians for their tactical displacement. "None who attacks them can escape, and none can find them if they desire not to be found. They build neither city nor fortress, but are mounted archers living in a state of perpetual mobility. They refuse to work the soil, but shift from place to place with their cattle, carrying their houses on waggons. Is it surprising they can neither be conquered nor found? Their country is well suited to this way of life. The rivers are their allies." Since the coming of aerial bombardment, open places no longer furnish the cover these ancient nomads enjoyed and the scene of revolutionary operations has moved to the jungle - or the concrete jungle.

"In war practice deceit and you will succeed" - Sun Tzu. The enemy of the guerilla is beneath treatment as a fellow human being. The war is an operation of revenge against a repressive control authority or an occupying foreigner. Since the conflict disobeys the rules of conventional warfare, neither side can expect quarter from the other. The fighter is responsible only to himself and his cause. If he is killed, another takes his place. Ideally a guerilla