” As the Syrian state recedes, the people in this village and villages around it are filling in the blanks with their own institutions and, for better or for worse, their own ideas about how a country should be run.
The rebels started taking control of these villages and towns a few months back, as the Syrian army focused on holding major cities.
The first thing the rebels do is take over the post office or the police station and set up shop as the local authority.”
