  The nonthermal filaments in the Galactic Center constitute one of the great
mysteries of this region of the Galaxy. We summarise the observational data on
these filaments and critically review the various theories which currently
outnumber the observed filaments. We summarise out theory for the longest of
these filaments, the Snake, and discuss the relevance of this model for the
other filaments in the Galactic Center region. The physics involved in our
model for the Snake involves much of the physics that has dominated the career
of Professor Don Melrose. In particular, the diffusion of relativistic
electrons in the Snake is determined from the theory of resonant scattering by
Alfv\'en waves.
