Character Relationship Map: Backstabbing for Beginners

Characters

• Michael (played by Theo James) — protagonist

  Michael is a former bank employee who joins the United Nations as a diplomat in 2002, becoming assistant to Pasha in the Oil-for-Food Programme. He investigates widespread corruption after learning ab...

• Christina Dupre (played by Jacqueline Bisset) — supporting

  Christina Dupre is the local United Nations chief diplomat in Baghdad. She warns Pasha that corruption is damaging the Oil-for-Food Programme and plans to publish a report exposing her concerns. Her a...

• Pasha (played by Ben Kingsley) — supporting

  Pasha is the Under-Secretary-General responsible for the Oil-for-Food Programme and Michael's senior superior. He tries to teach Michael how diplomacy operates in a corrupt political environment, whil...

• Nashim (played by Belçim Bilgin) — supporting

  Nashim is a United Nations worker in Baghdad who becomes Michael's love interest. She reveals important aspects of the corruption surrounding the Oil-for-Food Programme while secretly advancing the in...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Christina Dupre → Nashim (Professional UN Colleague) — Both are connected to the United Nations operation in Baghdad.

  Christina is the local UN chief diplomat in Baghdad, and Nashim is identified as a UN worker in Baghdad.

• Michael → Nashim (Romantic Love Interest) — Their romance develops amid Michael's investigation.

  The plot states that Michael falls in love with Nashim, a UN worker in Baghdad.

• Michael → Christina Dupre (Professional Colleague) — Christina's warning helps direct Michael toward the scandal.

  Michael first hears about corruption when Christina makes her concerns clear to Pasha during Michael's first visit to Baghdad.

• Michael → Pasha (Professional Assistant) — Michael works directly under Pasha within the United Nations.

  Michael leaves banking and becomes a diplomat assigned as an assistant to Pasha, the head of the Oil-for-Food Programme.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Nashim → Pasha (Unknown Programme Associate) — Their institutional connection is established, but their direct interaction is not specified.

  Nashim works as a UN employee in Baghdad while Pasha heads the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme that operates there.

• Christina Dupre → Pasha (Conflict Professional Rival) — Christina challenges Pasha over corruption in the programme.

  Christina tells Pasha that she is disturbed by corruption in the programme and plans to publish a report about it.

Story Analysis

A young diplomat confronts corruption, institutional compromise, and personal loss while pursuing evidence of a scandal.

Plot Progression

1. A Diplomat's New Beginning — Michael leaves banking and joins the United Nations as a diplomat. He is assigned to Pasha and introduced to the Oil-for-Food Programme.
2. Warnings in Baghdad — Michael visits Baghdad and hears Christina's concerns about corruption. Her planned report becomes the first major sign that the programme is compromised.
3. The Corruption Network — Michael uncovers payoffs and bribes diverting funds from Iraqis. The suspected network reaches companies, banks, governments, and UN officials.
4. Love Amid Danger — Michael falls in love with Nashim, who reveals more about the corruption while advancing the cause of the Kurds. Pasha offers a pragmatic defense of diplomacy.
5. Evidence After the Collapse — Christina and Nashim are killed as the corruption persists beyond the programme's legal termination. Michael gathers evidence and takes it to The Wall Street Journal.