Indian-origin security expert Paul Kapur was sworn in as the assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs in the Donald Trump administration. Kapur will now lead US diplomatic engagement with countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. He succeeds Donald Lu.
Welcome to @State_SCA, Assistant Secretary Paul Kapur! This morning Dr. Kapur was officially sworn in as the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. pic.twitter.com/dLjqmPjHVP
October 22, 2025Previously, Kapur worked on the State Department's Policy Planning Staff from 2020 to 2021, focusing on South and Central Asia, Indo-Pacific strategy, and India-US relations.
Who Is Paul Kapur?
Paul Kapur was born in New Delhi to an Indian father and an American mother. He grew up in the United States and attended Amherst College, where he earned his BA. Kapur completed his PhD at the University of Chicago in 1999. He began his academic career teaching at Claremont McKenna College.
Kapur was a visiting professor at Stanford University and a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution. He also taught at the US Naval War College and the US Naval Postgraduate School. Kapur specialises in South Asian security, nuclear policy, and the foreign policies of India and Pakistan. He has become a leading voice on US-India relations and a critic of Pakistan, especially regarding its support for terrorist groups in India and Afghanistan.
In 2022, he publicly questioned the Biden administration's $450 million sustainment package for Pakistan's F-16 fighter jets. He has argued that US efforts to strengthen defence ties with Pakistan could harm relations with India.
Kapur has participated in US-India Track 1.5 strategic dialogues and other Department of Defence engagements.
From 2020 to 2021, he served on the US State Department's Policy Planning Staff, focusing on South and Central Asia, Indo-Pacific strategy, and US-India relations.
Kapur has authored several books, including Jihad as Grand Strategy, Dangerous Deterrent, and co-authored India, Pakistan, and the Bomb. He also co-edited The Challenges of Nuclear Security: U.S. and Indian Perspectives. His articles have appeared in journals like International Security, Security Studies, Asian Survey, and Washington Quarterly, as well as in outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and National Interest.
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