Political Science Professor Sumantra Bose has expressed strong support for the process sparked by Abdullah Öcalan’s 27 February call, conveying his views to the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) and underscoring the need for a just and lasting resolution to the Kurdish question in Turkey.
Bose noted that his engagement with the Kurdish people’s struggle for rights and freedoms began during his undergraduate years in the United States and has continued for nearly thirty-five years. Bose reflected on this long trajectory and said: “Since then, I have followed the difficult and turbulent course of this struggle closely. There have been moments that inspired hope, as well as periods overshadowed by profound despair. Today, after decades of conflict, a democratic and workable solution finally seems to be emerging on the horizon. I hope and pray that this is not a mirage.”
The message continued as follows: “As an academic who studies peace processes and peace agreements in comparable conflicts, I know that the path toward a lasting and tangible peace will not be easy. Yet I call on all parties to seize this moment of hope. A successful outcome will not only be welcomed with admiration around the world; the names of those who achieve it will be written into the honourable pages of history. This region, long associated with conflict and recurrent violence, will offer an example of peace rather than war. In the years ahead, I hope to be able to tell my students how this achievement was realised despite all the challenges and the heavy burdens of the recent past. I extend my fraternal greetings and heartfelt wishes to your people, who have endured deep suffering and shown remarkable resilience in pursuit of a just cause.”
Who is Sumantra Bose?
Sumantra Bose is an Indian political scientist and a leading scholar of international and comparative politics. He completed his undergraduate studies at Amherst College and earned his doctorate from Columbia University. After many years as a professor at the London School of Economics (LSE), he continued his academic career in India at Krea University. His work focuses primarily on ethnic conflicts, national questions and conflict resolution.
Bose is widely known for his research on the Kashmir issue, South Asian politics and the post-Yugoslav region. His books Kashmir: The Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace and Contested Lands are regarded as key references in the field. He has also produced comparative studies on secularism and the relationship between religion and politics in India and Turkey.