S. Paul Kapur

S. Paul Kapur is currently on leave from ORF and is serving as Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

Between 2020-2021, Mr Kapur served on the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, working on issues related to South and Central Asia, Indo-Pacific strategy, and U.S.-India relations. Previously, he has taught at Claremont McKenna College, and was a visiting professor at Stanford University. His research and teaching interests include international security environment in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific; nuclear weapons proliferation, deterrence, and Islamist militancy. Mr Kapur is the author of ‘Jihad as Grand Strategy: Islamist Militancy, National Security, and the Pakistani State’ (Oxford University Press, 2016); ‘Dangerous Deterrent: Nuclear Weapons Proliferation and Conflict in South Asia’ (Stanford University Press, 2007); and co-author of ‘India, Pakistan and the Bomb: Debating Nuclear Stability in South Asia’ (Columbia University Press, 2010). His articles have appeared in leading journals such as International Security, Security Studies, Asian Survey, Washington Quarterly, and in a variety of edited volumes.

Mr Kapur also manages consultancy and engagement projects for the U.S. Department of Defense.

He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. from Amherst College.