Focusing on relations between NATO and Russia surrounding the Alliance's de
cision to enlarge, this paper develops a theory of symbolic power that high
lights the relationship between identities, narrative structures, instituti
ons, and legitimate action in the construction of security policy. We demon
strate that such a theory provides a significant contribution to analysing
the role of NATO in post-Cold War security, to understanding the evolution
of NATO-Russia relations, to assessing the 'promise' of international insti
tutions as a means of structuring security relations, as well as highlighti
ng forms of power at work in the social construction of 'security communiti
es'.