The report – entitled “Intervention in Syria? An Assessment of Legality, Logistics and Hazards” – calls for the creation of a political and military base for rebel fighters in the country’s northwest, as well as humanitarian “safe zones” for civilians fleeing the bloodshed. It also offers diplomatic avenues for authorizing military action in spite of continued Russian opposition to taking tougher measures against Damascus at the UN Security Council…

The report cites the northwest Syrian province of Idlib as a potential location for a rebel military, political and communications hub, which could play a role comparable to that of Benghazi in helping Libya’s Transitional National Council oust strongman Muammar Gaddafi in October.

Before the creation of such a base, the report says, Syria’s air defenses would first need to be neutralized as they were in the 2007 air strike – widely attributed to Israel – that destroyed a suspected Syrian nuclear facility at Deir al-Zor.

Turkey’s NATO-leased Incirlik Air Base, it continues, could be the launch point for such an attack.