  We review a possible solution to the fermion generation puzzle based on a
nonabelian generalization of electric--magnetic duality derived some years ago.
This nonabelian duality implies the existence of another SU(3) symmetry dual to
colour, which is necessarily broken when colour is confined and so can play the
role of the ``horizontal'' symmetry for fermion generations. When thus
identified, dual colour then predicts 3 and only 3 fermion generations, besides
suggesting a special Higgs mechanism for breaking the generation symmetry. A
phenomenological model with a Higgs potential and a Yukawa coupling constructed
on these premises is shown to explain immediately all the salient qualitative
features of the fermion mass hierarchy and mixing pattern, excepting for the
moment CP-violation. Calculations already carried out to 1-loop order is shown
to give with only 3 adjustable parameters the following quantities all to
within present experimental error: all 9 CKM matrix elements $|V_{rs}|$ for
quarks, the neutrino oscillation angles or the MNS lepton mixing matrix
elements $|U_{\mu 3}|, |U_{e 3}|$, and the mass ratios $m_c/m_t, m_s/m_b,
m_\mu/m_\tau$. The special feature of this model crucial for deriving the above
results is a fermion mass matrix which changes its orientation (rotates) in
generation space with changing energy scale, a feature which is shown to have
direct empirical support.
