IDLIB, Syria—As Syrians begin to stitch their country back together after the fall of the Assad regime and 14 years of civil war, one city serves as a template for what Syria’s new Islamist rulers would like the nation to become.

       Idlib, the heartland of resistance to the Assads where the new rulers cut their teeth, is buzzing with economic life. Traffic clogs the city’s streets. Breakfast restaurants serving falafel and chickpea stew are filled to the last seat. Men line up outside government offices to join the new security forces. There is even a zoo where out-of-towners gawk at a family of lions and a cat in a cage.

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