Gatherings of world leaders are marked by formality and protocol, often orchestrated to avoid offense. But India’s prime minister offers a refreshingly bold take on those stiff relationship-building exercises.

Narendra Modi’s signature move with world leaders is the bear hug.

The BBC offers an admiring analysis of Mr. Modi’s technique, which in President Trump’s case, began with a slow handshake that deftly slipped into a full embrace, exhibiting all the precision and grace of a martial arts move. Modi hugged Mr. Trump three times during his two-day Washington visit. After an awkward start, Trump reciprocated.

Yes, Monitor editors are aware that Europe was hit by a serious ransomware attack Tuesday. You may recall that a similar attack in May was stopped cold by an alert 22-year-old in Britain.  

But we digress. Rather than focus on events that may instill fear, we wanted to take a moment to highlight the effectiveness of a simple embrace.