Throughout American history, business interests have played a predominant role in influencing foreign policy. Foreign policy determines how America conducts its relations with other countries. It is designed to promote certain goals such as security and trade. More importantly, foreign policy seeks to ensure America's security and defense and its ability to protect America's national interests around the world. The national interests that determine foreign policy cover a wide range of political, economic, military, ideological and humanitarian fields. This is the position the United States has taken in recent decades regarding foreign policy. As the United States government pursues its foreign policy, the public is purposely kept in the dark about the motivations behind some important decisions it makes and most foreign policy-related operations. Although US foreign policy is set to protect its well-being and spread democracy, I think it is not only influenced by business, but is also controlled by those who have these business-related interests. In this essay I will discuss the extent of business influence on the foreign policy of the United States government. For much of American history, foreign policy has reflected an obsession with open markets for American business. Democracy and capitalism are associated with open markets, and the United States has prioritized the spread of democracy and capitalism around the world. The United States anticipated the Arab Spring; the fall of tyrants in the Middle East opens up untapped markets. This opens up new markets that have been controlled by dictators like Muammar Gaddafi who expressed their hatred towards the United States and everything associated with it. Diffusion... at the center of the paper... we come to notice that behind a multitude of causes that influence the flow of history, there is a valid and strong economic one. Works Cited Ells, Mark Van. 1998. “No Blood for Oil: Persian Gulf War Protest.” Journal for the Study of Peace and ConflictGarten E. Jeffrey. 1997. "Business and Foreign Policy." Office of Foreign Affairs Jacobs, R. Lawrence. 2005. “Who Influences U.S. Foreign Policy?” vol. 99, no. 1. American Political Science Review.Mandelbaum, Michael. 2010. The Frugal Superpower: America's Global Leadership in a Cash-Short Era. New York: PublicAffairs Books.Sean, M. Lynn-Jones. 1998. “Why the United States Should Spread Democracy.” Discussion Paper 98-07, Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard UniversityShaw, F. Eugene. 1979. 'Agenda-setting and mass communication theory', 25, 2, p.101. Journal