Loyalty first, expertise second

A file photo of Syrian security officers at their graduation ceremony in Damascus on Feb 20, 2025. When rebels in Syria came to power, one of their first acts was to dismiss all of the country’s military forces. The effort to rebuild them will be critical in uniting this still-fractured country. — David Guttenfelder/The New York Times

WHEN rebels came to power in Syria a year ago, one of their first acts was to dismiss the country’s military, long a tool of repression under the Assad family.

Now, the nascent government faces a daunting challenge: rebuilding an army that can unite a fractured nation.