American actor George Clooney and his new wife, British human rights attorney Amal Alamuddin Clooney, are reportedly looking to adopt a baby. Not just any baby, however—one from a "war-torn country," according to reports from Woman's Day and the Daily Mail.

According to a "source" close to the couple, the Clooneys hope to "use the adoption to highlight the plight of orphans in countries like Syria."

Huh. Unless George has some special movie star pass (possible!) the Clooneys probably can't adopt a baby from Syria. The U.S. Embassy in Damascus advises:

Syria, as a Shari'ah law country, does not recognize or provide for adoptions of Muslim children. Several attempts by U.S. prospective adoptive parents have failed, although technically some provision was made for certain Christian denominations to adopt. ... The Embassy's understanding is that until specific Decree 76-compliant previsions have been developed to address adoption for specific denominations, it is not possible to adopt in Syria.

Furthermore, international adoption experts typically do not recommend adopting children in the middle of a war zone. Francine Uenuma, spokesperson for Save the Children, told Today back in March that focusing on adoption in a crisis situation is "misguided attention." The organization notes that "international adoption should never be considered in the first phase of an emergency. Children separated from their families in a crisis are extremely vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation."

The Clooneys themselves haven't commented on their reported efforts to adopt.

[Photo via Getty]