The U.S. Senate has announced Indian American scholar S. Paul Kapur as the new Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, succeeding Donald Lu in the role.
Kapur’s confirmation was secured in a Senate vote on Oct. 7, even amid the ongoing government shutdown. The White House announced the appointment on X, saying, “Paul Kapur, of California, as Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs.”
“Appearing before you, I can’t avoid the feeling of having come full circle. I was born in New Delhi, to an Indian father and an American mother. Although I visited India often during my childhood, I grew up in the United States as a thoroughly American kid, never imagining that my career would someday return me to the place where I was born,” Kapur stated, as per NDTV.
Kapur was one of 107 nominees confirmed by the Senate and is set to oversee U.S. diplomatic efforts in South and Central Asia, covering countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. He was initially nominated by the Trump administration in February and has previously worked on U.S.-India relations.
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He highlighted that the United States and India “share a host of common interests,” including maintaining a “free and open Indo-Pacific region,” boosting trade and economic ties, advancing collaboration in technology and innovation, and ensuring dependable energy access to support economic development in his Senate confirmation hearing.
Who is Paul Kapur?
Paul Kapur was born in New Delhi to an Indian father and an American mother. A distinguished scholar, he has spent much of his career focused on South Asian security and foreign policy. He currently teaches at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and serves as a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.
An experienced expert on regional geopolitics, Kapur previously served on the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff under the earlier Trump administration, focusing on Indo-Pacific strategy and U.S.-India relations.
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Kapur earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College. His research demonstrates extensive knowledge of South Asia’s nuclear strategy and security landscape.
He has authored 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.
Kapur’s studies often contend that Pakistan’s “use of jihadist groups is a deliberate state policy, not a side effect of instability, suggesting a tougher US stance toward Islamabad under his leadership.”
Kapur has also co-authored India, Pakistan, and the Bomb: Debating Nuclear Stability in South Asia and co-edited The Challenges of Nuclear Security: U.S. and Indian Perspectives (2024).
His writings have been published in prominent journals and media outlets, including International Security, Security Studies, Asian Survey, The Wall Street Journal, and The National Interest.