In their contributions political scientists, public intellectuals and writers discuss the cultural foundations of politics, policies, and the polity and how all three mark different types of social order within transatlantic communities. From a decidedly international and transatlantic perspective, the 14 authors investigate the cultural framework of political action and decision making in the United States, Canada, and in Germany. Topics include, among others, the impact of political culture on public order; its institutional make-up, and political interaction; the challenges of multiethnic and multicultural diversity with respect to national unity and social coherence; the socio-cultural basis of foreign policy formation; the effects of economic factors in the realm of politics; and, finally, intellectual discourse as a formative force in public affairs.