In 1994, armed indigenous rebels emerged from the jungle to launch an unexpected insurrection and seize several towns in Chiapas, Mexico. The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) was challenging not only the Mexican state, but the notion that the triumph of neoliberalism represented the end of history. In the clamor that followed, a mysteriously, masked, pipe-smoking horseman appeared as the guerrillas' spokesperson. Subcomandante Marcos has since become the most recognizable alter-globalization icon in the world and a voice for oppressed peoples, his writings translated into at least 14 languages. In this book, Nick Henck provides a concise and accessible overview of the life, thought, and achievements of Marcos. Through his role as a military strategist to his eloquent articulation of democracy, justice, and social inclusion in Mexico, this professor-turned-guerrilla has become a revered and inspiring enigma. He has also made considerable contributions to Latin American literature and to creating a new political language for the global Left. This book includes the Subcomandante's communiqué "In (Self-)Defense of Giraffes," an eloquent celebration of difference and diversity - here published in English for the first time.

Marking the 25th anniversary of the Zapatista uprising, Henck's book is not just a biography but also a reminder that there is another way of doing politics: that another world is possible. Book jacket.