The introductory chapter outlines and contextualizes the study by developing its two interconnected research questions regarding the role of U.S. soft power in German-American relations and potential shifts within this relationship over time. In so doing, the chapter presents overviews of the vast landscape of literatures on German-American relations and soft power, identifying the study’s contributions by addressing considerable research gaps in both fields. In the course of this endeavor, the chapter argues that German-American relations are of vital—and exceptional—importance for at least five interconnected reasons: (1) the sheer length of the relationship, (2) its particular significance to both sides, (3) its volatility over time, especially from a historical perspective, (4) its “special” character, which is crucially informed by soft power, and (5) the importance of the personality factor in any attempt to analyze and understand German-American relations past, present, and future.