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Let’s get awkward: how bad was Obama’s ‘handshake’ with Castro? Let’s get awkward: how bad was Obama’s ‘handshake’ with Castro?
(about 2 hours later)
I occasionally hold my son’s wrist in the way that Raúl Castro held Barack Obama’s at their joint press conference in Havana on Monday. Usually, when he is being truculent and refusing to walk with me. (He’s five.) Maybe this was Castro’s thinking, too. He wanted to choose direction. The two leaders have previously shaken hands – so they do know how to do it. But this was no handshake. It was a menacing sleeve-crumpler of an armgrab. To signal dissent, Obama flopped his hand: a novel reappropriation of limp-wristedness to suggest self-determination. Maybe he was hoping people would think his real arm was tucked inside his jacket, because the right side of his body continued to function normally while he beamed and waved to the audience. A definite 10/10 for discomfort.I occasionally hold my son’s wrist in the way that Raúl Castro held Barack Obama’s at their joint press conference in Havana on Monday. Usually, when he is being truculent and refusing to walk with me. (He’s five.) Maybe this was Castro’s thinking, too. He wanted to choose direction. The two leaders have previously shaken hands – so they do know how to do it. But this was no handshake. It was a menacing sleeve-crumpler of an armgrab. To signal dissent, Obama flopped his hand: a novel reappropriation of limp-wristedness to suggest self-determination. Maybe he was hoping people would think his real arm was tucked inside his jacket, because the right side of his body continued to function normally while he beamed and waved to the audience. A definite 10/10 for discomfort.
The moment where politicians risk a hand towards a mutual greeting will always be fraught. Each second is loaded with micro-decisions, like a high-stakes game of rock, paper, scissors. Who is going for what? With handshakes, there is always a winner.The moment where politicians risk a hand towards a mutual greeting will always be fraught. Each second is loaded with micro-decisions, like a high-stakes game of rock, paper, scissors. Who is going for what? With handshakes, there is always a winner.
Who: John Kerry and Francois Hollande.Who: John Kerry and Francois Hollande.
When: The US secretary of state was visiting Paris in January 2015, following the terror attacks.When: The US secretary of state was visiting Paris in January 2015, following the terror attacks.
The awkward moment: It was the greeting that had everything. Hollande leaned in to kiss Kerry’s cheek, but Kerry proffered both hands instead. The two men ended up shaking all four hands. For a long time. When Hollande eventually got one free, Kerry continued to shake the other while Hollande clung on to Kerry’s index finger. Then they hugged, noses nudging, polished toes touching, before walking off with their arms wrapped around each other. If in doubt, go for it!The awkward moment: It was the greeting that had everything. Hollande leaned in to kiss Kerry’s cheek, but Kerry proffered both hands instead. The two men ended up shaking all four hands. For a long time. When Hollande eventually got one free, Kerry continued to shake the other while Hollande clung on to Kerry’s index finger. Then they hugged, noses nudging, polished toes touching, before walking off with their arms wrapped around each other. If in doubt, go for it!
Discomfort rating: 8/10Discomfort rating: 8/10
Who: Gordon Brown and Angela Merkel.Who: Gordon Brown and Angela Merkel.
When: A meeting of European leaders in Berlin, February 2009.When: A meeting of European leaders in Berlin, February 2009.
The awkward moment: Before contact came the pucker. Brown’s proffered his lips in a way that suggested he was very excited to be kissing someone. Anyone. This was not his first offence (Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Michelle Obama ...). The kiss appeared to land on Merkel’s nose. The awkward moment: Before contact came the pucker. Brown proffered his lips in a way that suggested he was very excited to be kissing someone. Anyone. This was not his first offence (Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Michelle Obama ...). The kiss appeared to land on Merkel’s nose.
Discomfort rating: 8/10Discomfort rating: 8/10
Who: Barack Obama, Tony Abbott and Shinzo Abe.Who: Barack Obama, Tony Abbott and Shinzo Abe.
When: At a meeting during the G20 in Brisbane, November 2014.When: At a meeting during the G20 in Brisbane, November 2014.
The awkward moment: The Japanese and Australian prime ministers were shaking hands when Abe waved Obama over to join them. Abbott reached out for him with his free hand, locking both his guests in a triple handshake. Obama kept smiling – appropriate, because they looked like a chorus line.The awkward moment: The Japanese and Australian prime ministers were shaking hands when Abe waved Obama over to join them. Abbott reached out for him with his free hand, locking both his guests in a triple handshake. Obama kept smiling – appropriate, because they looked like a chorus line.
Discomfort rating: 7/10Discomfort rating: 7/10
Who: George W Bush and Condoleezza Rice.Who: George W Bush and Condoleezza Rice.
When: Dallas, November 2010.When: Dallas, November 2010.
The awkward moment: Bush has form with awkward greetings (Yo, Blair!). On this occasion, he appeared undecided on kissing Rice. His mouth is not really kiss-shaped. He is more speaking to her cheek, while she, in a last defence against the unwanted, shuts her eyes.The awkward moment: Bush has form with awkward greetings (Yo, Blair!). On this occasion, he appeared undecided on kissing Rice. His mouth is not really kiss-shaped. He is more speaking to her cheek, while she, in a last defence against the unwanted, shuts her eyes.
Discomfort rating: 10/10Discomfort rating: 10/10
Who: Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin.Who: Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin.
When: Bilateral meeting at the UN general assembly in Moscow, September 2015.When: Bilateral meeting at the UN general assembly in Moscow, September 2015.
The awkward moment: Obama proffers his hand. Putin stares at it, holds back his own while he thinks about it. What is this hand-shaped thing? Some kind of trick? What will happen if I touch it? Has this hand got teeth?The awkward moment: Obama proffers his hand. Putin stares at it, holds back his own while he thinks about it. What is this hand-shaped thing? Some kind of trick? What will happen if I touch it? Has this hand got teeth?
Discomfort rating: 9/10Discomfort rating: 9/10