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Backstabbing for Beginners

My Crash Course in International Diplomacy

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About this listen

 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. Corruption & Misconduct Middle East Military Politicians Politics & Activism Politics & Government War Iran Witty Gulf War Africa American Foreign Policy
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An eye opening account of international fraud that gives unprecedented insight and perspective into the workings of the UN and the recent history of Iraq and the war on terror.
Well written and well performed - my only gripe is that some non-American accents were a little interesting but overall this is definitely one to hear.

A startling political revelation

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I had this on my wish list for a long time, very glad I finally gave it a go as, it was excellent. very well read and written, keeping what could have been a dry subject very engaging. A fascinating and alarming insight into what goes on behind the scenes in a huge organisation like the UN.

Gripping tale of what goes on behind the scenes

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Soussan's brilliant text is performed extremely well Maxwell Hamilton, who, (despite one questionable Australian accent for the head of the Australian Wheat Board) is great. The text itself is such an insight into the laughable world of lies, deceit and bigoted egos that block those with true passion and determination to change the lives of people who need it most. My personal favourite parts of the text - when Soussan explains how incredibly smart Saddam was, albeit shockingly corrupt, to mastermind the downfall of integrity of most first world countries of the world and the U.N. Members and chairmen of countries you wouldn't believe would partake in dodgy dealings are the first to be whistle-blown by Soussan; Not just the US and Russia - but Australia, France, New Zealand and plenty of others are all in on it.

Cracking yarn. An absolute must.

An incredible, perspective changing, listen

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Very interesting, and jauntily read with some wry humour, without getting into a huge blame game or cynicism at the end.

Interesting, well read and quite eye opening

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After watching the movie, I decided to read the book that inspired it. I recommend them both. It describes the journey of a young idealist that at the end of his experience at the UN, and after the oil-for-food scandal, turns into a very-down-to-earth realist. I lived a similar experience but in a (very) much smaller scale, doing volunteering work at local ngos. That's why I was not surprised by the end of the book, where true personalities emerge, with all their weaknesses and corruption. I recommend this book to all those young people, who would like to work in international cooperation or just volunteer. Not because I want to turn them into cynics but because they need an opportunity to get into the org with their eyes open.

This book shines a light on the dark side of international orgs.

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