Victor Sumsky

Victor Vladimirovich Sumsky (Russian: Виктор Владимирович Сумский; born 13 April 1953) is a Russian orientalist and academician. He is a specialist in the current history and international relations of Southeast Asia.

Early life and education Sumsky was born on 13 April 1953. His father worked at a defense research institute and was a World War II veteran, while his mother worked as chief legal adviser of the RSFSR's Ministry of Forestry. He was raised in a communal apartment in Moscow. He studied at English specialized school No.23 in Moscow and graduated in 1970. Afterwards, he entered MGIMO's Faculty of International Journalism in 1970. During his study at MGIMO, he learned Indonesian under the guidance of Ami Intoyo. While studying at MGIMO, he worked as a journalist at local newspapers in Severodvinsk and Nakhodka, respectively. He also interned at TASS and pre-graduation practical training at Novoye Vremya. He finished his study at MGIMO in 1975.

In 1979, upon returning to the Soviet Union, he continued his postgraduate education at the Institute of Oriental Studies. He wrote a dissertation about comparing the contemporary political development and official ideologies of two Asian countries. After defending his dissertation, he published it titled Nationalism and Authoritarianism: Political and Ideological Processes in Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Sumsky defended his doctoral dissertation on the Philippines' political regime development in 2006. In August 2010, the Embassy of Indonesia in Moscow awarded a commemorative badge in August for his contribution on developing Indonesia-Russia diplomatic relations. Sumsky joined the PIR Center's advisory board and the Trialogue International Club in 2012.

Personal life Sumsky is married and has a daughter. Sumsky (2002) Ferdinand Marcos: The Emergence, Evolution, and Decline of a Dictatorship in the Philippines (Фердинанд Маркос. Зарождение, эволюция и упадок диктатуры на Филиппинах)