Established in 2015 as the Jalal Talabani<\/a> Chair of Kurdish Political Studies, this program is a testament to the generosity and vision of the late Dr. Najmaldin Karim (1949-2020). Dr. Karim\u2019s remarkable journey included leadership of the Kurdish Student Union at the Mosul Medical College in 1971, fighting as a peshmerga in the 1970s against Saddam Hussein\u2019s brutal regime, practicing as a distinguished neurosurgeon in the Washington D.C. area, and serving as governor of Kirkuk from 2011 to 2017. His unwavering advocacy for Kurdish rights earned him the title of a “one-man lobby<\/a>” for Kurdish interests on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the holder of the Najmaldin Karim & Jalal Talabani Chair of Kurdish Political Studies, my primary goal is to build upon this legacy by fostering an academic debate on Kurds, their struggle for recognition, and their potential to contribute to a secular, democratic, just, and peaceful Middle East for all peoples and faiths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the fourth largest nation in the Middle East and inhabiting a vast geography stretching from western Iran to northwestern Syria, much can be learned from studying the broader regional dynamics through the Kurdish prism. I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues, engaging with our talented students, and working with the wider community to achieve these goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Warm regards,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mehmet Gurses<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sciences.ucf.edu\/politics\/kps\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/10\/gurses_signature.png\")
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Najmaldin Karim & Jalal Talabani Chair of Kurdish Studies <\/p>\n\n\n\n