Syria's new leadership is attempting to construct a working state from the ground up in a country that remains bombed-out, fragmented, and deeply traumatised after years of civil war. NZZ correspondent Karin A. Wenger, reporting from inside Syria, documented encounters with border officials, economic ministry advisers, and state television staff — all early signs of nascent institution-building. The stakes are high: analysts warn that failure to establish a viable government could trigger a return to conflict in a nation that has already endured one of the most devastating wars of the century.