Drop Cows Not Bombs

So, the U.S. military has recently introduced a new preemptive tactic in the war on terror: Giving cows to the widows of Iraqis we've killed. Marine Major Meredith Brown put together the "Cows to Widows" program which has so far provided cows to 50 women whose husbands have been killed in the fighting over the past few years. The idea, NPR explained recently, is to "help the women become self-sufficient, and to keep them from possibly joining insurgent troops."Also worth noting is that, as Major Brown describes, "This is a project for women, by women, through women." In her interview, she describes how a Fallujah city councilwoman and another woman in the Iraqi provincial legislature came to her with the idea of granting widows cows which could in turn provide the milk for a local dairy factory.Now, as the program has shown success, Major Brown says she is in discussions with Land O' Lakes who may be interested in building a milk collection facility in the region.This certainly seems like a better preemptive tactic than the kind we're used to hearing about. Teach a man (or woman) to fish, as they say. Perhaps we should consider trading our our ground troops for Kiva personnel.If you need more convincing, read this all too current sounding three year old piece from the Council on Foriegn Relations which cites the huge opportunity to help out the Middle East by focusing on microfinance and women.