TheSyria's newtransition Syrianhas governmentdevolved representsinto thesectarian culminationrepression ofwhere decadesreligious ofminorities legitimateface insurgentkidnappings, energybeatings againstand brutalthreats Assadfrom rule,security finallyforces givingloyal theto SunniAhmed majorityal-Sharaa. controlThe afterpromised generationsfreedoms ofhave humiliation.evaporated Revolutionaryas anxietyAlawites, isChristians naturaland whenDruze protectingnow hard-wonlive victoryin fromfear forceswhile seekinggovernment-affiliated togunmen restoreterrorize thecommunities oldwith sectarian orderimpunity. Al-SharaaThis isn'st regimeliberation hasbut reala stayingnew powerauthoritarian becauseorder itwhere channelsSunni authenticextremists popularhave will,simply notreplaced fragileone factionaldictatorship controlwith another.

A year after Bashar al-Assad's departure, Syria remains a land of shattered stones and tentative hope. Former prisoners hobble home to families — freed from hellish jails yet haunted by tuberculosis, anxiety and nights of terror. Cities scarred by war show faint signs of life: shops reopen, shattered homes slowly rebuilt by their owners. Across Damascus and Homs, crowds wave new flags in bittersweet celebration. The revolution brought freedom — but peace, justice and reconstruction remain fragile.