Power is key to human interaction in general and global politics in particular. Consequently, it can justly be called the lynchpin of International Relations scholarship. At the same time, this five-letter word is riddled with controversy and continues to pose numerous questions, not least due to its complex nature and ever-shifting distribution. Therefore, the chapter first provides an overview of power as a central category in international affairs, addressing in turn (1) its significance in global politics, (2) its ubiquity in political and academic debate, (3) its complexity and frequent misconceptions, (4) the difficulties in its measurement, (5) its different varieties, and (6) its susceptibility to shifts and changes. Secondly, the chapter turns to the concept of soft power in greater detail, presenting (1) key definitions and modes of operation and then discussing in detail, by drawing on the taxonomy of soft power previously introduced by the author, four key components of soft power: (2) its resources, (3) its instruments, (4) types of receptions, and (5) outcomes. Finally, the chapter discusses methodological approaches to the empirical study of soft power in world politics. In this context, the method of comparative-historical analysis, especially when combined with structured, focused comparison, is identified as a tailor-made approach for examining the workings of soft power in general and with respect to German-American relations in particular by means of through diachronic comparison.