The term fulul, borrowed from the Egyptian post-Mubarak lexicon to describe the old regime, is new to Syria’s political discourse. After 14 years of revolution, I won’t accept being sidelined or betrayed.” These interviews suggest that Syria’s transition remains precarious. The ruler became the man who could disarm other men, absorb their legitimacy and overwrite past masculinities with his own. During my recent visit, I saw men clad in black, masked and fully armed, standing like shadows in the main squares of Syria’s cities. In April 2025, Syria’s General Security Forces issued a new directive banning its operatives from wearing masks in public unless on special assignment.