The regime's discourse was directed not only at domestic audiences but also at international ones, particularly in the West, where it sought to project its strength and legitimacy through civilizational language that focused on barbarizing the opposition.

discourse of racial militarism to justify its brutal crackdown on opposition groups, particularly those with Islamic affiliations.

ecular militarism also plays a role in othering and excluding those who seek a greater role for religion in political and public life.

reinforce a masculinist nationalism through militarism

Syria's militarist state has been shaped by its experience of colonization, and its militarism is directly connected to the country's anticolonialism

The ideal masculine identity was tied to militarism

Racial militarism played a significant role in shaping insider-outsider boundaries of national identity, with militarism performing an exclusionary function within the nation-state.

The construction of the "Other" was also racialized

militarism, which was used to facilitate the transition from one epoch of human development to the next.

militarism is not only shaped by colonialism but also perpetuates racial hierarchies and civilizational anxiety.