NEW DELHI: Indian-origin security expert Paul Kapur, known for his extensive research on South Asian security and nuclear policy, has been nominated by US President Donald Trump as the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs. If confirmed by the Senate, Kapur will succeed Donald Lu, who completed his term on 17 January 2025.
Kapur, currently a professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the US Naval Postgraduate School, has played a key role in shaping US foreign policy on South and Central Asia.
From 2020 to 2021, he served on the US State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, contributing to strategies involving Indo-Pacific security and US-India relations. He has also been involved in directing US-India Track 1.5 dialogues and managing defence-related engagements between the two countries.
A recognised authority on regional security dynamics, Kapur will oversee US diplomatic relations with key countries in South Asia, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Kapur holds a PhD from the University of Chicago and a BA from Amherst College. Before joining the US Naval Postgraduate School, he taught at Claremont McKenna College and was a visiting professor at Stanford University.
He has authored several influential publications on South Asian security, nuclear policy, and international relations. His books include Jihad as Grand Strategy: Islamist Militancy, National Security, and the Pakistani State (Oxford University Press, 2016), Dangerous Deterrent: Nuclear Weapons Proliferation and Conflict in South Asia (Stanford University Press, 2007), India, Pakistan, and the Bomb: Debating Nuclear Stability in South Asia (Columbia University Press, 2010), and The Challenges of Nuclear Security: US and Indian Perspectives (Palgrave MacMillan, 2024).
His research has appeared in leading academic journals such as International Security, Security Studies, and Asian Survey, exploring critical issues like nuclear security and Indo-Pakistani relations.