Backstabbing for Beginners

Michael Soussan
November 2008     ISBN: 1568583974

The year is 1997. Michael Soussan, an idealistic young graduate, has recently accepted his dream job at the United Nation's Oil-for-Food program, the largest humanitarian operation in the organization's history. His mission is to help 23 million Iraqi civilians survive the devastating impact of economic sanctions that were imposed following the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

At first an absolute beginner in the world of international diplomacy, Soussan soon finds himself embroiled in a world of spies, corrupt oil tycoons and dysfunctional diplomats. His discovery that Saddam Hussein is extracting illegal bribes while UN officials turn a blind eye sets him on a collision course with the organization's leadership. On March 8, 2004, in a Wall Street Journal editorial, he became the first insider to call for "an independent investigation" of the UN's dealings with Hussein. One week later, Kofi Annan appointed Paul Volcker to lead a team of 60 international investigators who ultimately exposed the biggest financial scandal in UN history.

Backstabbing for Beginners is at once the darkly comic tale of one man's political coming of age and a stinging indictment of the hypocrisy that prevailed at the heart of the world's most idealistic institution.

The Wall Street Journal listed Backstabbing for Beginners among its list of 12 best books of 2008.

"Although it reads like a novel, Backstabbing for Beginners could never be one: the characters and situations described are simply too ludicrous to be anything but the truth. Soussan not only tells the story of the United Nations' extraordinarily corrupt Oil-for-Food program but also provides a fascinating clue to Hussein's bizarre actions in the run-up to the American invasion; having prospered from Western and UN connivance and cowardice for so long, the Iraqi dictator undoubtedly thought his luck would continue to hold. An extraordinary book and a deeply sobering one."
—Scott Anderson, author of Moonlight Hotel and The Man Who Tried to Save the World

"If you ever wondered about questioning authority, Backstabbing for Beginners will confirm your worst fears; books like this make conspiracy theorists of us all."
—Mike Sager, author of Wounded Warriors and Revenge of the Donut Boys

"The funniest, saddest, most heart wrenching, and most infuriating book on a topic that usually puts people to sleep. You will get so caught up in this book you won't be able to put it down and you will be too upset to read it at the same time. By the time you have finished it you will be crawling up the walls, after which you will be calling your friends to tell them they must read it, too."
—Nicholas Von Hoffman, author of Citizen Cohn and The Devil's Dictionary of Business

Michael Soussan has written for numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, Salon and the International Herald Tribune. He holds a B.A. from Brown University and an M.A. in International Relations from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris. Soussan currently teaches international affairs and the Iraq conflict at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs. He lives in New York City.