George Mitchell, the architect of the Northern Ireland peace agreements, has been appointed as special envoy to the Middle East to reengage diplomatic efforts there. And Richard Holbrooke, the broker of the Dayton Peace Accords that ended the conflict in Bosnia, will be special envoy to the Afganistan/Pakistan region. It sends a strong signal to the world that the U.S. will once again use diplomacy, and not just military, to resolve major conflicts.