U.S.

Americans Abroad: When Goodwill Turns Into Gaffe

Gestures of goodwill can be a tricky business, particularly if you're a dignitary visiting a foreign land with customs you're not quite used to. Here are five memorable moments in which American luminaries raised eyebrows abroad. They probably all meant well, but some flubs were better received than others. —Reno Ong

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Relax, Don’t Do It

By April 26, 2013

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTQY1Aw9zcs]

When George W. Bush gave German Chancellor Angela Merkel an impromptu neck massage at the July 2006 G-8 summit in St. Petersburg, TIME ranked it as one of the former U.S. President’s top 10 YouTube moments. German newsweekly Spiegel contacted Merkel’s administration for a comment, prompting a spokeswoman to reply that Merkel was keeping quiet because the controversy was “obviously an American, not a German, one.” Not that the Chancellor needed to make any comment: when Bush touched her, her expression said it all.

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