iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
The Trump administration has nominated S. Paul Kapur to serve as the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, overseeing diplomatic relations with India and other South Asian countries.
This announcement came from the office of Vice President J.D. Vance, along with numerous other appointments for Senate consideration and confirmation.
Kapur, a California native, currently holds a professorship at the Naval Postgraduate School, where he specializes in South Asian politics, security, and international relations.
If confirmed, Kapur would become the second U.S. diplomat of Indian descent to lead the bureau responsible for South Asia, though his role would focus on a smaller regional scope than his predecessor, Nisha Biswal.
Biswal, the first Indian-descent Assistant Secretary of State, oversaw the South and Central Asia Bureau, which encompassed more countries than the current South Asia Bureau, which will now solely focus on India and its neighbors.
Kapur’s background includes serving on the State Department’s policy planning staff from 2020 to 2021, where he worked on South and Central Asia issues, U.S.-India relations, and Indo-Pacific strategy. Prior to this, he was a faculty member at Claremont McKenna College and a visiting professor at Stanford University.
An expert in South Asian security and nuclear policy, Kapur is the author of several influential works, including Jihad as Grand Strategy: Islamist Militancy, National Security, and the Pakistani State and Dangerous Deterrent: Nuclear Weapons Proliferation and Conflict in South Asia. He has also co-authored India, Pakistan, and the Bomb: Debating Nuclear Stability in South Asia and co-edited The Challenges of Nuclear Security: US and Indian Perspectives.
His academic work has been published in prestigious journals like International Security, Security Studies, Asian Survey, and Washington Quarterly, as well as in major outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The National Interest, and RealClearPolicy.
Kapur also directs the U.S.-India Track 1.5 strategic dialogue and has been involved in other U.S.-India defense engagements. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. from Amherst College.
His potential appointment is seen as a strategic move by the administration to further strengthen US-India relations, particularly as both nations continue to play key roles in regional security and global diplomacy.
(Photo courtesy: IANS)
