Backstabbing for Beginners: My Crash Course in International Diplomacy

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Ben Kingsley and Theo James, the gripping true story of a young program coordinator at the United Nations who stumbles upon a conspiracy involving Iraq's oil reserves.

"What made this episode in our collective history possible was not so much the lies we told one another, but the lies we told ourselves."

A recent Brown University graduate, Michael Soussan was elated when he landed a position as a program coordinator for the United Nations' Iraq Program. Little did he know that he would end up a whistleblower in what PBS NewsHour described as the "largest financial scandal in UN history."

Breaking a conspiracy of silence that had prevailed for years, Soussan sparked an unprecedented corruption probe into the Oil-for-Food program that exposed a worldwide system of bribes, kickbacks, and blackmail involving ruthless power-players from around the globe.

At the crossroads of pressing humanitarian concerns, crisis diplomacy, and multibillion-dollar business interests, Soussan's story highlights core flaws of our international system and exposes the frightening, corrupting power of the black elixir that fuels our world's economy.

Author: Michael Soussan
Publisher: Bold Type Books
Published: 03/13/2018
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.40w x 1.10d
ISBN13: 9781568588629
ISBN10: 1568588623
BISAC Categories:
- Political Science | Corruption & Misconduct
- Political Science | Intergovernmental Organizations
- Political Science | International Relations | Diplomacy

About the Author
Michael Soussan is a journalist and screenwriter whose writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Time, NPR, BBC, and a range of international media. His has worked at CNN, the UN, and K Street in Washington, DC, and has taught writing and public communication at NYU and advised a range of global organizations and corporations. A native of Denmark, he lives in Los Angeles.