Paul Kapur, a distinguished Indian-origin academic, has been appointed as the new US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs, a key diplomatic post overseeing relations with countries including India and Bangladesh. Kapur is the second individual of Indian descent to hold this top diplomatic role for the South Asian region, succeeding Nisha Desai Biswal, who previously served as the assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs. He is a professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the United States Naval Postgraduate School, specialising in South Asian politics, security, and international relations. Addressing the perennial tensions between India and Pakistan, he said that South Asia had "recently avoided a costly conflict”. He is the author of “Jihad as Grand Strategy: Islamist Militancy, National Security, and the Pakistani State”; “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 “The Challenges of Nuclear Security: US and Indian Perspectives”.

Source: bd News24 October 09, 2025 11:39 UTC