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.
[2] Upon graduating from MGIMO, Sumsky had a plan to enroll in the postgraduate program at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The ministry posted Sumsky in the Soviet Union Consulate General in Medan, and he worked there for four years (1975–1979).
[2] In June 2010, Sumsky was appointed as the Director of the ASEAN Center at MGIMO, a position that he served until 2021 when he was replaced by Ekaterina Koldunova.