Backstabbing for Beginners by Michael Soussan

Backstabbing for Beginners by Michael Soussan

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Ben Kingsley and Josh HutchersonThe year is 1997, Michael Soussan, a fresh-faced young graduate takes up a new job at the U.N.'s Oil-for-Food Program, the largest humanitarian operation in the organization's history. His mission is to help Iraqi civilians survive the devastating impact of economic sanctions that were imposed following the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. As a gaffe-prone novice in a world of sensitive taboos, Soussan struggles to negotiate the increasing paranoia of his incomprehensible boss and the inner workings of one of the world's notoriously complex bureaucracies. But as he learns more about the vast sums of money flowing through the program, it becomes clear that all is not what it seems. Soussan becomes aware that Saddam Hussein is extracting illegal kickbacks, a discovery that sets him on a collision course with the organization's leadership. On March 8, 2004, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed editorial, Soussan becomes the first insider to call for an independent investigation" of the U.N.'s dealings with Saddam Hussein. One week later, a humiliated Kofi Annan appointed Paul Volcker to lead a team of sixty international investigators, whose findings resulted in hundreds of prosecutions in multiple countries, many of which are still ongoing. Backstabbing for Beginners is at once a witty tale of one man's political coming of age, and a stinging indictment of the hypocrisy that prevailed at the heart of one of the world's most idealistic institutions.

"[Michael Soussan's] tale is one of a profound institutional corruption, infinitely more significant than that of any single individualThe next time you hear anyone mention the United Nations and moral authority in the same sentence, tell them to read this book." -Sunday Times "Fascinating... [an] excellent source of information about corruption among leading participatory nations and the UN itself [and] an important revelatory work." -The Morning Star"

Michael Soussan has written for numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, The New Republic, and the International Herald Tribune. He currently teaches at New York University's centre for Global Affairs and lives in New York City.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781568584416
ISBN 10	1568584415
Title	Backstabbing for Beginners
Author	Michael Soussan
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Avalon Publishing Group
Year published	2010-06-01
Number of pages	352
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable