Michael Soussan
Michael Soussan is an author, journalist, and former United Nations staffer best known for the memoir "Backstabbing for Beginners," which recounts his experiences within the U.N.'s Oil-for-Food Programme and the corruption scandal surrounding it. His work has appeared in major media outlets, he has taught and lectured on international affairs, and the memoir was adapted into a 2018 feature film.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
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1. Backstabbing For Beginners
My Crash Course in International Diplomacy
A young idealist lands a dream job at the United Nations and is plunged into the murky world surrounding the Iraq Oil-for-Food Programme, uncovering systemic corruption, bureaucratic infighting, and moral compromises that implicate diplomats, corporations, and governments. As he navigates power plays and personal risks, his initial faith in international institutions erodes, forcing him to confront complicity, whistleblowing, and the costs of telling the truth. Blending dark humor with insider detail, the memoir traces his transformation from naïveté to hard-earned realism about global diplomacy and the human toll of sanction-era Iraq.
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