The debate on the architecture of European security may have moved towards a conclusion during 1996. There is a new air of compromise between the US and Europe with France's rapprochement with NATO, the US acceptance of a European Security and Defence Identity within the Alliance, and agreement on the idea of a Combined Joint Task Force. This work examines the background to the development of the current debate, what a European Security and Defence Identity amounts to, and whether the compromise is durable.