Indian American S. Paul Kapur Nominated to be Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs at State Department
- A strong backer of U.S.-India partnership and a harsh critic of Pakistan, he currently serves as a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School.
South Asian security scholar S. Paul Kapur has been nominated by President Trump to be Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs at the State Department, that conducts diplomatic ties with India and the region. The Indian American will replace Donald Lu, and is a strong backer of U.S.-India partnership and a harsh critic of Pakistan.
Kapur currently serves as a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School, specializing in South Asian politics, and security, and international relations.
If confirmed, he will be the second Indian American top U.S. diplomat for relations with South Asian countries. Previously, Nisha Desai Biswal served in the role during the Obama administration from October 2013 to January 2017. Desai headed a bureau that was called the South and Central Asia, and included many countries that are now out.
Kapur previously 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, according to his bio on the Naval College website. He is also a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Previously, he taught at Claremont McKenna College, and was a visiting professor at Stanford University.
PIN ITKapur has authored, co-authored and edited several books on the South Asian political landscape. His work has appeared in leading academic journals and publications. He also directs a United States-India Track 1.5 strategic dialogue, as well as other U.S.-India engagements, for the Department of Defense. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and his B.A. from Amherst College.