Since the Franco-British declaration on European security and defense was made at St Malo four years ago, the European Union and its member states have made rapid progress towards the development of a common European security and defense policy. The transformation of the St Malo declaration into a European process represents a milestone in the history of European integration, for the first time bringing defense within the scope of European policy coordination. Despite the tremendous speed at which advancements in this field have taken place, there remain a number of open and interconnected questions related to the European Security and Defense Policy's political structure, force capabilities, and mission that together threaten to cast a shadow over the EU's capacity to create a credible military force with which to reinforce its capacity and autonomy in the area of crisis management. This volume attempts to chart the progress, the problems, and the future prospects of this ambitious and highly contentious venture.