Who is Paul Kapur? Trump’s New Asian Affairs Nominee to Lead US South Asia Policy

President Donald Trump has chosen S. Paul Kapur, an expert on India-Pakistan security and nuclear issues for the fresh assistant secretary of state position for South and Central Asia. If the Senate confirms him, Kapur would take the place of Donald Lu who had to exit because of the administration change. Currently acting as a deputy assistant secretary is Eric Meyer. 

Kapur’s wide experience and academic work on Southern Asian security issues have made him a knowledgeable candidate for U.S. diplomatic efforts in the region. Indians have been sharing the excitement on social media and pointing out the extending relationship.

Who is Paul Kapur?

Paul Kapur is a professor at the US Naval Postgraduate School in the Department of National Security Affairs and a fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution. He previously worked in the final year of the Trump administration on the State Department’s policy planning team focusing on South Asia. 

Kapur has produced many books dealing with the security problems of South Asia like “Jihad as Grand Strategy: Islamist Militancy”, “National Security and the Pakistani State” and “Dangerous Deterrent: Nuclear Weapons Proliferation and Conflict in South Asia”. He completed his PhD at the University of Chicago. 

In an essay co-authored with Harsh Pant in 2023, Kapur declared favorable conditions for a US-India strategic partnership but cautioned that it needs meticulous management for the relationship to deepen. He mentioned there was a great incentive to chip in given that there was a great need to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region and a balance against the rising Chinese power.