The US Senate has confirmed Indian-origin educational S Paul Kapur as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, changing Donald Lu. His affirmation got here by way of a vote on October 7, regardless of the continued authorities shutdown.The White Home confirmed the appointment in a put up on X, stating, “Paul Kapur, of California, as Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs.”Kapur was amongst 107 nominees accredited by the Senate and can now lead America’s diplomatic engagement with key South and Central Asian nations, together with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.Kapur, who earlier labored on US-India relations, was nominated by the Trump administration in February.
Who’s Paul Kapur?
S Paul Kapur was born in New Delhi to an Indian father and an American mom. Kapur is a revered educational with an extended profession learning South Asian safety and international coverage. He at the moment serves as a professor on the US Naval Postgraduate College and can be a visiting fellow at Stanford College’s Hoover Establishment.A seasoned voice on regional geopolitics, Kapur beforehand served on the State Division’s Coverage Planning Workers throughout the earlier Trump administration, the place he labored on Indo-Pacific technique and US-India relations. He holds a PhD from the College of Chicago and a bachelor’s diploma from Amherst School. Kapur’s scholarly work displays deep experience in South Asia’s nuclear technique and safety dynamics. He’s the creator of Jihad as Grand Technique: Islamist Militancy, Nationwide Safety, and the Pakistani State and Harmful Deterrent: Nuclear Weapons Proliferation and Battle in South Asia, amongst others. His analysis usually argues that Pakistan’s “use of jihadist teams is a deliberate state coverage, not a aspect impact of instability, suggesting a harder US stance towards Islamabad below his management.”Kapur additionally co-authored India, Pakistan, and the Bomb: Debating Nuclear Stability in South Asia and co-edited The Challenges of Nuclear Safety: US and Indian Views (2024). His writings have appeared in main journals and shops reminiscent of Worldwide Safety, Safety Research, Asian Survey, The Wall Avenue Journal, and The Nationwide Curiosity.
