First come the sign painters, serious little men with paintpots and newly issued brushes, their lips moving soundlessly with the memorized slogans: "Yankee go Home" or "Down with the Neocolonialists and Imperialists" or sometimes, when Britain is involved along with the U.S., "Bugger off, Brit!" Proficient only in the local language, be it Egyptian or Swahili, Russian or Malay, the painters are under considerable pressure. After all, if the epithet they must letter neatly on the embassy wall comes out in misspelled English, it will look bad for their country's image in the news photos published abroad.
Next come the...
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