In its current crisis, British Petroleum’s (BP) spin doctors must certainly be burning the midnight oil in an attempt to diminish global anger and allay the fears of shareholders. However, it appears as though Britain and its people have been dragged into the fray and are having to bear the brunt of American anger. Not only does BP’s name carry the implication of close ties with Britain, but the media repeatedly refers to it as a “British” corporation even though it operates in more than 100 countries. The British Prime Minister was harshly criticised this past week for not defending his nation against the international outcry against BP. Many Britons feel they are being maligned due to something completely out of their control and the situation is causing increasing acrimony between two long-standing allies. The mounting anger in the United States is perfectly valid, but the seemingly intimate association between Britain and BP has put the spotlight very firmly on the relationship between country, company, and corporate identity, despite the fact that the percentage of American BP shareholders is almost equal to their British counterparts. There is a great deal of uncertainty regarding resolutions to the calamitous situation in its entirety, but it is apparent that as with religion and state, an unequivocal boundary must exist between corporates and the latter.