Grounded on tenets of cultural realism and social constructivism, Monica Gariup develops a theoretical framework to enhance our understanding of security culture at the European Union level. She employs tools from political theory, linguistic analysis and international relations theory to examine the implications of discourse and practice in European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP). Innovative in scope, the volume analyzes whether elaborating a structurationist solution and proposing a discursive syntax of security makes it possible to identify and compare different types of security actors. Providing a comprehensive and objective analysis on the links and implications between the discourse and actual policy of the ESDP, this is essential reading for scholars and researchers in European politics, international relations, security and cultural studies.