Michael Soussan
Michael Soussan (born 1973) is a Danish-born reporter, writer and whistleblower. He lives in Los Angeles, California.He became famous for his 2008 book ''Backstabbing for Beginners: My Crash Course in International Diplomacy'', about the widespread corruption and financial abuse, at the highest levels, that he found while working for the Oil-for-Food Program under the United Nations in Iraq. The book was the basis of the 2018 feature film ''Backstabbing for Beginners'', starring Ben Kingsley and Theo James and directed by Per Fly Plejdrup.
Soussan was born in 1973 in Denmark to a Sephardi Jewish father and a Danish mother. Soussan's father was born in Casablanca and immigrated to Israel. There, he met Soussan's mother, a Danish Protestant who had gone to work on a kibbutz. In ''Backstabbing for Beginners,'' Soussan writes "the result [of his parents' relationship] was a child who could best be described as a Sephardic Viking."
Soussan grew up mostly in Paris and immigrated to the United States at 18. He attended Brown University, where he co-founded and edited the ''Brown Journal of World Affairs''. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the university in 1996. After graduating, Soussan planned to pursue a career in law. After working at a law firm in Washington, D.C., however, he became disillusioned with Capitol Hill and decided to pivot to a career more humanitarian in nature.
At a friend's recommendation, Soussan applied for a job the United Nations, which would involve traveling to Iraq. Soussan was chosen for the job, in part because he did not hold American or British citizenship. In a 2018 interview, Soussan reflected on his outlook at the time, stating "At Brown, they teach you to be idealistic — but they don’t teach you how the world works. I had to find that out."
Soussan arrived in Iraq in 1997 where he worked for the Oil-for-Food Program. For much of his time in the country, Soussan worked as the assistant to Benon Sevan, the Armenian Cypriot administrator of the program. According to ''Backstabbing for Beginners,'' Soussan was present at the alleged 1998 deal in which Sevan began receiving bribes from the government of Baathist Iraq.
As a journalist and commentator he has contributed to The New York Times, The New Republic, The Wall Street Journal and many others, including from Afghanistan and Iraq. Provided by Wikipedia
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5by Florence Jeny, Diane Bouvry, Olivia Freynet, Michael Soussan, Michel Brauner, Carole Planes, Hilario Nunes, Dominique ValeyreGet full text
Published 2016-06-01
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6by Emmanuel Ledoult, Maxime Morelle, Michael Soussan, Arsène Mékinian, Hélène Béhal, Vincent Sobanski, Eric Hachulla, Damien Huglo, Noémie Le Gouellec, Martine Remy-Jardin, Clio Baillet, David LaunayGet full text
Published 2021-03-01
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7by Romain-David Seban, Jean-Baptiste Assié, Etienne Giroux-Leprieur, Marie-Ange Massiani, Michael Soussan, Gérald Bonardel, Christos Chouaid, Margot Playe, Lucas Goldfarb, Boris Duchemann, Laura Mezquita, Nicolas Girard, Laurence ChampionGet full text
Published 2020-08-01
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8by Laure Sarda-Mantel, Jidar Kaoutar, Toni Alfaiate, Amanda Lopes, Frédéric Paycha, Khadija Benali, Nidaa Mikail, Michael Soussan, Charles Lemarignier, Frédéric Méchaï, Sophie Le Nagat, Françoise Montravers, Ouda Deradji, Emmanuel Durand, Tiphaine Goulenok, Diane Ponscarme, Patrick Yéni, Cédric Laouénan, Cédric Laouénan, Christophe RiouxGet full text
Published 2021-08-01
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