Wilson Center Experts
Michael Kugelman
Senior Program Associate for South and Southeast Asia, Asia Program
Asia Program
Contact Information:
T 202/691-4059
// F 202/691-4001
Expertise:
Energy Security
; Environmental Security
; International Development
; Population
; International Security
; U.S. Foreign Policy
; Afghanistan
; India
; Pakistan
; South Asia
; Southeast Asia
Michael Kugelman is senior program associate for South and Southeast Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center, where he is responsible for research, programming, and publications on South and Southeast Asia. His most recent work has focused on Pakistan's 2013 elections, India-Pakistan relations, U.S.-Pakistan relations, youth movements and social media in Pakistan, and security challenges in India. He has published op-eds, commentaries, and blog posts in the New York Times, Foreign Policy, CNN.com, Huffington Post, International Herald Tribune, World Politics Review, Dawn, Express Tribune, Times of India, Indian Express, and Asia Times Online. He has been interviewed by numerous major media outlets including the New York Times, Financial Times, Guardian, National Geographic, Christian Science Monitor, CNN, National Public Radio, BBC, Reuters, and Voice of America. Mr. Kugelman received his M.A. in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. He received his B.A. from American University's School of International Service. He has written and edited a number of publications on South Asia, including Reaping the Dividend: Overcoming Pakistan's Demographic Challenges and India's Contemporary Security Challenges (both Wilson Center 2011). He has also published journal articles and book chapters on issues ranging from South Asia's media environment to transboundary water management in South Asia. He can be contacted by email or on Twitter @michaelkugelman
Education
M.A., International Relations, The Fletcher School, Tufts University; B.A., International Studies, School of International Studies, American University
Subjects
Afghanistan,Asia,India,Indonesia,Malaysia,Pakistan,Philippines,South Asia,Southeast Asia,U.S.-South Asia Relations,U.S.-Southeast Asia Relations
Experience
Research assistant, Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies, Tufts University; senior editor, The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, Tufts University; intern, Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S. Department of State; program assistant, Fulbright Foreign Student Program, AMIDEAST
Expertise
South Asia (Pakistan, India, Afghanistan); Southeast Asia (Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia); U.S.-South Asia and U.S.-Southeast Asia relations
Major Publications
- "Pakistan's Protest Vote," writer (Foreign Policy, 2013)
- "The Global Farmland Rush," writer (The New York Times, 2013)
- "Five Important Questions for Afghanistan," writer (Foreign Policy, 2013)
- The Global Farms Race: Land Grabs, Agricultural Investment, and the Scramble for Food Security, lead editor (Island Press, 2012)
- "The Myth of an Arab Spring in Pakistan," writer (CNN.com, 2013)
- "Pakistan in 2013: Yes It Could Get Worse," writer (CNN.com, 2012)
- "India's Foreign Policy Fog," writer (The Wilson Quarterly, 2012)
- "Another Threat in Pakistan, in Sheep's Clothing," writer (The New York Times, 2012)
- "Safeguarding South Asia's Water Security," writer (Seminar magazine, 2011)
- Reaping the Dividend: Overcoming Pakistan's Demographic Challenges, lead editor (Wilson Center, 2011)
- Empty Bellies, Broken Dreams: Food Insecurity and the Future of Pakistan, lead editor (Vanguard Books, 2011)
- India's Contemporary Security Challenges, editor (Wilson Center, 2011)
- Hunger Pains: Pakistan's Food Insecurity, lead editor (Wilson Center, 2010)
- Running on Empty: Pakistan's Water Crisis, lead editor (Wilson Center, 2009)
- Powering Pakistan: Meeting Pakistan's Energy Needs in the 21st Century, co-editor (Oxford University Press, 2009)
Related Content for this Expert
Pakistan's Hidden Threat from Within
Aug 07, 2012The Hizb-ut-Tahrir is a global Islamist organization that pledges to overthrow governments through nonviolent means. It poses a unique challenge in Pakistan, argues South Asia Associate Michael Kugelman in a New York Times op-ed. more
The Importance of Pakistan & The Eurozone and Transatlantic Relations
Aug 01, 2012 to Aug 08, 2012
Robert Hathaway, Wilson Center's Asia Program Director; Michael Kugelman, Asia Program Associate; Klaus Larres, the Richard M. Krasno Distinguished Professor in History and International Affairs at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. more
Pakistan's Medical Crisis
Jul 16, 2012Pakistan's medical system is in great crisis, argues South Asia associate Michael Kugelman in a recent Foreign Policy commentary. more
Pakistan’s Most Dangerous Place
Mar 11, 2012 to Mar 19, 2012
Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University; Michael Kugelman, Program Associate, Asia Program, Woodrow Wilson Center more
Edging toward an Endgame in Afghanistan?
Oct 27, 2011On this month’s ten-year anniversary of U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan, Michael Kugelman of the Asia Program offers an analysis of the conflicting forces that are challenging the regional peace process and discusses changes in U.S. policy approaches toward Afghanistan and Pakistan. more
India and Pakistan at Odds Over Shrinking Indus River
Oct 13, 2011Irrigation and hydroelectric projects are draining the river's flow, while glaciers are melting in Kashmir. more
Running on Empty: Pakistan's Water Crisis
Sep 12, 2011In a nation facing many challenges, Pakistan’s crisis of water resources stands out. This publication, edited by Asia Program associate Michael Kugelman and director Robert M. Hathaway, examines the rural and urban manifestations of Pakistan’s water problems, and offers recommendations to alleviate the country’s widespread water stress. more
Land Grab? The Race for the World's Farmland
Jul 19, 2011The world is experiencing a grain rush. With increasing frequency, food-importing countries and private investors are acquiring farmland across the developing world. This new publication marks one of the first efforts in the United States to bring together perspectives from international organizations, farmers, and investors alike about a trend often referred to as a new phase of the world food crisis. Edited by Michael Kugelman and Susan L. Levenstein. Send an email to asia@wilsoncenter.org for a free copy or click on the attachment for a free PDF version. more
Pakistan's Population Challenge
Aug 30, 2010 to Sep 05, 2010
Michael Kugelman is program associate with the Wilson Center's Asia Program. Much of his recent research and programming focus has involved demographics in Pakistan. He is a regular contributor to Dawn, one of Pakistan's major English language newspapers. Zeba Sathar is Pakistan country director at the Population Council in Islamabad. Prior to joining the council, she was chief of research in demography at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics and a consultant with the World Bank. Mehtab Karim is a distinguished senior fellow and affiliated professor with the School of Public Policy at George Mason University. Additionally, he is a senior research fellow at the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life, specializing in global Muslim demographics. Previously, he was a professor of demography at Aga Khan University in Karachi. more
Pakistan's Population Challenge
Jun 21, 2010 to Jun 27, 2010
Michael Kugelman is program associate with the Wilson Center's Asia Program. Much of his recent research and programming focus has involved demographics in Pakistan. He is a regular contributor to Dawn, one of Pakistan's major English language newspapers.
Zeba Sathar is Pakistan country director at the Population Council in Islamabad. Prior to joining the council, she was chief of research in demography at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics and a consultant with the World Bank.
Mehtab Karim is a distinguished senior fellow and affiliated professor with the School of Public Policy at George Mason University. Additionally, he is a senior research fellow at the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life, specializing in global Muslim demographics. Previously, he was a professor of demography at Aga Khan University in Karachi. more
Pages
Pakistan's Historic Election Changes Little for U.S. Relations
May 14, 2013Senior Program Associate for South and Southeast Asia Michael Kugelman analyzed the results of the Pakistani elections and how it would affect the U.S. relationship with Pakistan in this video interview with The Washington Post.
An Optimist’s Hope Begins to Fade
Mar 22, 2013In this op-ed from The Dawn, Michael Kugelman writes that while he tends to be an optimist about Pakistan, he fears that the nation's perils are too ingrained and structural to be expunged by even the most exceptional of leaders.
The Global Farmland Rush
Feb 06, 2013Over the last decade food-importing nations and private investors have been securing land abroad to use for agriculture – cumulatively amounting to approximately the size of Western Europe. Michael Kugelman highlights how this practice puts citizens of some poorer countries in danger of losing their patrimony, not to mention their sources of food.
The 5 Most Important Questions About Afghanistan
Jan 10, 2013This week's talks between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and U.S. President Barack Obama contain an ambitious agenda including a new bilateral security agreement, U.S. troop levels after 2014, and peace talks to end America's longest war. However, there's much more that requires discussion, including some delicate matters that both sides may be reluctant to tackle. Here are the five most important questions the two leaders should consider during Karzai's time in Washington according to expert Michael Kugelman in this Foreign Policy article.
Pakistan's Hidden Threat from Within
Aug 07, 2012The Hizb-ut-Tahrir is a global Islamist organization that pledges to overthrow governments through nonviolent means. It poses a unique challenge in Pakistan, argues South Asia Associate Michael Kugelman in a New York Times op-ed.
Pakistan's Medical Crisis
Jul 16, 2012Pakistan's medical system is in great crisis, argues South Asia associate Michael Kugelman in a recent Foreign Policy commentary.
Edging toward an Endgame in Afghanistan?
Oct 27, 2011On this month’s ten-year anniversary of U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan, Michael Kugelman of the Asia Program offers an analysis of the conflicting forces that are challenging the regional peace process and discusses changes in U.S. policy approaches toward Afghanistan and Pakistan.
India and Pakistan at Odds Over Shrinking Indus River
Oct 13, 2011Irrigation and hydroelectric projects are draining the river's flow, while glaciers are melting in Kashmir.
Michael Kugelman's Op-Ed in Dawn
Jan 26, 2010Pakistan has an abiding wish for more trade with the United States--but according to program associate Michael Kugelman in a January 25 Dawn op-ed, this is a wish that will go unfulfilled for the foreseeable future.
Media Briefing: Pakistan's General Elections
May 09, 2013 // 10:30am — 11:00am
Wilson Center experts answered media questions from the media about Pakistan's May 11, 2013 General Elections.
Maternal Health in India: Emerging Priorities (New Delhi, Boston, Washington, DC)
April 04, 2013 // 9:00am — 11:00am
Maternal mortality causes 56,000 deaths every year in India, accounting for 20 percent of maternal deaths around the world, said John Townsend, vice president and director of the Population Council’s reproductive health program. It is a key battleground for maternal health advocates. But maternal health is sometimes eclipsed by other major health and development issues on the sub-continent. For example, nearly five times as many people suffer from HIV/AIDS and more than 400 million people live on less than $1.25 a day.
Book Launch: The Global Farms Race -- Land Grabs, Agricultural Investment, and the Scramble for Food Security in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Former Soviet Union
December 04, 2012 // 3:30pm — 5:30pm
The launch of a new book on arguably one of the world's most underreported trends: The acquisition, by nations and private investors, of vast expanses of precious farmland overseas.
So-Called Land Grabs in the Global South: Reality and Repercussions?
November 28, 2012 // 2:00pm — 4:00pm
This event was a frank conversation regarding the positive and negative aspects of these deals on the macro and micro level in Sub-Saharan Africa, considering 70% of contemporary large-scale land acquisitions are based in this region.
Salvaging a Troubled Marriage: Lessons for U.S.-Pakistan Relations
Nov 19, 2012The new U.S. administration has inherited the challenge of a U.S.-Pakistan relationship in crisis. This policy brief argues that although strategic partnership may be impractical, sustained ties remain essential.
Running on Empty: Pakistan's Water Crisis
Sep 12, 2011In a nation facing many challenges, Pakistan’s crisis of water resources stands out. This publication, edited by Asia Program associate Michael Kugelman and director Robert M. Hathaway, examines the rural and urban manifestations of Pakistan’s water problems, and offers recommendations to alleviate the country’s widespread water stress.
Land Grab? The Race for the World's Farmland
Jul 19, 2011The world is experiencing a grain rush. With increasing frequency, food-importing countries and private investors are acquiring farmland across the developing world. This new publication marks one of the first efforts in the United States to bring together perspectives from international organizations, farmers, and investors alike about a trend often referred to as a new phase of the world food crisis. Edited by Michael Kugelman and Susan L. Levenstein. Send an email to asia@wilsoncenter.org for a free copy or click on the attachment for a free PDF version.
Reaping the Dividend
Jul 07, 2011Running on Empty: Pakistan's Water Crisis
Jul 07, 2011
Land Grab: The Race for the World's Farmland
Jul 07, 2011The world is experiencing a grain rush. With increasing frequency, food-importing countries and private investors are acquiring farmland across the developing world. This new publication marks one of the first efforts in the United States to bring together perspectives from international organizations, farmers, and investors alike about a trend often referred to as a new phase of the world food crisis.
The Global Farms Race & Context: Israeli Security and the Arab Spring
Nov 21, 2012 to Nov 28, 2012
Michael Kugelman, Senior Program Associate for the Asia Program at the Wilson Center, discusses a new book which he co-edited entitled, The Global Farms Race. We also take a look at Middle East security from the Israeli perspective with, Efraim Halevy, former director of the Mossad and former head of the Israeli Security Council.
The Importance of Pakistan & The Eurozone and Transatlantic Relations
Aug 01, 2012 to Aug 08, 2012
Robert Hathaway, Wilson Center's Asia Program Director; Michael Kugelman, Asia Program Associate; Klaus Larres, the Richard M. Krasno Distinguished Professor in History and International Affairs at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Pakistan’s Most Dangerous Place
Mar 11, 2012 to Mar 19, 2012
Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University; Michael Kugelman, Program Associate, Asia Program, Woodrow Wilson Center
Pakistan's Population Challenge
Aug 30, 2010 to Sep 05, 2010
Michael Kugelman is program associate with the Wilson Center's Asia Program. Much of his recent research and programming focus has involved demographics in Pakistan. He is a regular contributor to Dawn, one of Pakistan's major English language newspapers. Zeba Sathar is Pakistan country director at the Population Council in Islamabad. Prior to joining the council, she was chief of research in demography at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics and a consultant with the World Bank. Mehtab Karim is a distinguished senior fellow and affiliated professor with the School of Public Policy at George Mason University. Additionally, he is a senior research fellow at the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life, specializing in global Muslim demographics. Previously, he was a professor of demography at Aga Khan University in Karachi.
Pakistan's Population Challenge
Jun 21, 2010 to Jun 27, 2010
Michael Kugelman is program associate with the Wilson Center's Asia Program. Much of his recent research and programming focus has involved demographics in Pakistan. He is a regular contributor to Dawn, one of Pakistan's major English language newspapers.
Zeba Sathar is Pakistan country director at the Population Council in Islamabad. Prior to joining the council, she was chief of research in demography at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics and a consultant with the World Bank.
Mehtab Karim is a distinguished senior fellow and affiliated professor with the School of Public Policy at George Mason University. Additionally, he is a senior research fellow at the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion and Public Life, specializing in global Muslim demographics. Previously, he was a professor of demography at Aga Khan University in Karachi.