On assignment in Serbia, reporter Matt Potter came across a spectacle that changed the course of his career. In his words, it was "an orgy of black marketeering, mafia violence, smuggling and sanctions-busting. I asked myself, and anyone I met: 'How is this possible?' " It was in this manner that Potter came to know Yuri and his crew, a gang of Belorussian military men who, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, found themselves without work or prospects. So, they bought a decommissioned Soviet plane--at liquidation prices, straight from the Russian government--and started a shipping business. It wasn't long before Yuri, and many pilots like him, found themselves at the center of global politics. Men like him are paid by the US, the Taliban, and even the Vatican to bring supplies--some legal, some not--across dangerous borders. In a feat of reportage, Potter gets onto the flight deck with these outlaws and tells the story of their fearless missions. Dodging gunfire, Potter buckles up as he is taken from place to place, trafficking illegal weapons, liquor, and drugs, making enemies everywhere but no reliable friends.

As the world changes, we see the options for this crew first explode, then slowly diminish, until, in a desperate maneuver, they move their operations to the most lawless corners of Africa, where they operate to this day. The story of these outlaws is a microcosm of the world since the end of the Cold War: secret contracts, guerrilla foreign policy, and conflicts too thorny to be handled in public. Potter uses the story of these men to articulate an underground history of the globalized world. At once thrilling, provocative, and morally circumspect, this book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in espionage or military history.