In December 2024, the regime of Bashar al-Assad collapsed, ending the 61-year ruthless rule of the Ba'ath Party. Since then, Syria has been undertaking a difficult test. Assad's departure may signal Damascus is ready to break from its authoritarian past, but to what extent is this true? What makes the path ahead of Syria fragile and uncertain? Is it possible for dictatorship to resurface? How can such a scenario be prevented?