U.S. President Barack Obama kisses pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on the cheek after a brief joint press conference at her residence in Rangoon, Burma, on Nov. 19, 2012
Even the world’s most powerful man is not immune to the odd faux pas as U.S. President Barack Obama discovered when he touched down in Burma in November. Upon meeting democracy icon and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, Obama planted a kiss on her cheek. Unbeknown to the President, public displays of affection are frowned upon in Burma — especially when the recipient is revered as much as Suu Kyi is. But with Obama’s visit foreshadowing a new era of openness for the military-dominated nation, the Burmese people chose to show their other renowned characteristic: forgiveness.