S. Paul Kapur Appointed to Lead U.S. State Department's South Asia Bureau

HIGHLIGHTS:

• S. Paul Kapur, expert on U.S.-India relations, named to head the State Department’s South Asia Bureau, overseeing diplomacy with India and its neighbors.
• Kapur, currently a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School, has previously served on the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff and taught at Claremont McKenna and Stanford.
• Kapur has authored notable books on South Asia and nuclear security, with his work featured in top journals and media, while leading U.S.-India defense initiatives.

S. Paul Kapur, a former expert on Washington-New Delhi affairs, will now lead the South Asia Bureau of the State Department, which oversees the diplomatic relations with India and its neighbours.

"Paul Kapur, of California, to be Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs." This is just one of the many names in the list submitted by the office of Vice President J.D. Vance for consideration to the U.S. Senate for confirmation.

He is now a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in South Asian Politics, Security, and International Relations.

Once appointed, he will become the second Indian-origin U.S. diplomat to cover relations with the South Asian countries after his predecessor. However, the remit of this post is a much narrower area in terms of geography.

For instance, the first Indian American assistant secretary, Nisha Biswal, managed an entire South and Central Asia bureau, as well as a few others which are no longer part of that region.

As reported on the Naval College website, Kapur served on the State Department's Policy Planning Staff from 2020 to 2021, with a focus on South and Central Asia, Indo-Pacific strategy, and U.S.-India relations.

Before returning to academic work, Kapur had previously taught at Claremont McKenna College and taken a visiting professorship at Stanford University.

Kapur is the author of Jihad as Grand Strategy: Islamist Militancy, National Security, and the Pakistani State, and Dangerous Deterrent: Nuclear Weapons Proliferation and Conflict in South Asia; co-author of India, Pakistan, and the Bomb: Debating Nuclear Stability in South Asia; and co-editor of The Challenges of Nuclear Security: US and Indian Perspectives.

His articles have appeared in top academic journals within the field, such as International Security, Security Studies, Asian Survey, and Washington Quarterly, as well as in principal media outlets like The Wall Street Journal, The National Interest, and RealClearPolicy. He has also initiated and led a number of bilateral initiatives with a U.S.-India focus for the Department of Defense, including a Track 1.5 strategic dialogue.