Indian-origin Paul Kapur nominated as key U.S. diplomat for South Asian Affairs

In January, the U.S. State Department confirmed the departure of Donald Lu, Assis­tant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, as his term concluded on January 17, 2025
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Paul Kapur, an expert on South Asian security, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs.

Mr. Kapur, if confirmed by the Senate, will replace Donald Lu.

In January, the U.S. State Department confirmed the departure of Mr. Lu, Assis­tant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, as his term concluded on January 17, 2025.

The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs deals with U.S. foreign policy and U.S. relations with the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Indian-origin Mr. Kapur is a professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the United States Naval Postgraduate School.

From 2020-2021, he has served on the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, working on issues related to South and Central Asia, Indo-Pacific strategy, and U.S.-India relations.

He is also the co-author of India, Pakistan and the Bomb: Debating Nuclear Stability in South Asia and co-editor of The Challenges of Nuclear Security: U.S. and Indian Perspectives.

Mr. Kapur did his PhD at the University of Chicago. According to his bio, Kapur also directs a United States-India Track 1.5 strategic dialogue, as well as other U.S.-India engagements, for the Department of Defence.