Expert Bio

Summary

Michael Kugelman, the Director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, is a leading specialist on Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan and their relations with the United States. The editor or co-editor of 11 books, he has written for The New York Times, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, and other publications, covering topics ranging from U.S. policy in Afghanistan to terrorism to water, energy, and food security in the region.

Full Bio

Mr. Kugelman is the director of the Wilson Center's South Asia Institute. He is also a columnist for Foreign Policy magazine and writes its South Asia Brief, a weekly newsletter of news and analysis from the region. He has managed the South Asia portfolio at the Wilson Center since 2007, and he leads the Center’s programming and research on the region.  His main specialty is Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan and U.S. relations with each of them. His current recent projects focus on shifting geopolitics in South Asia, US-India technology cooperation, the future of US-Pakistan relations, and the role of strategy during the US-led war in Afghanistan. He has published op-eds and commentaries in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Foreign Affairs, Politico, Bloomberg View, CNN.com, NPR, Al Jazeera, and newspapers and magazines in India and Pakistan.

He has been interviewed by numerous major media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, Guardian, Christian Science Monitor, National Geographic, BBC, CNN, NPR, and Voice of America. He has also produced a number of longer publications on South Asia, including the edited volumes Pakistan’s Interminable Energy Crisis: Is There Any Way Out? (Wilson Center, 2015), Pakistan’s Runaway Urbanization: What Can Be Done? (Wilson Center, 2014), and India’s Contemporary Security Challenges (Wilson Center, 2013). He has published policy briefs, journal articles, and book chapters on issues ranging from Pakistani youth and social media to India’s energy security strategy and transboundary water management in South Asia.

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. Follow him on Twitter @michaelkugelman

 

Expertise

• Pakistan 
• India 
• Afghanistan 
• South Asia 
• US-South Asia relations 
• Pakistan-India relations 
• US-India relations 
• US-Pakistan relations

Major Publications

Articles

• “The Next Refugee Crisis: Afghanistan,” writer (New York Times, October 21, 2015)
• “Washington Doesn’t Help Pakistani Democracy,” writer (Foreign Policy, October 20, 2015)
• “Is the Honeymoon Over for Narendra Modi?” writer (Foreign Policy, September 23, 2015)
• “Will ISIS Infect Bangladesh?” co-writer (The National Interest, August 4, 2015)
• “Bringing Afghanistan Back Into the Spotlight,” writer (Foreign Policy, August 10, 2015)
• “Could Mullah Omar’s Death Help the Peace Process?” writer (Foreign Policy, July 30, 2015)
• “Powerless in Pakistan,” writer (Foreign Policy, June 30, 2015)
• “Why Does Pakistan Accuse Indian Spies of Terrorism?” writer (War on the Rocks, June 9, 2015)
• “Does Mullah Omar Still Matter?” writer (War on the Rocks, April 13, 2015)
• “Mr. Ghani Goes to Washington,” writer (Foreign Policy, March 19, 2015)
• “How ISIS Could Become a Potent Force in South Asia,” writer (Foreign Policy, February 20, 2015)
• “Fix the Link to Pakistan, Bond with India,” writer (New York Times, January 23, 2015)

 

Books

• Pakistan's Interminable Energy Crisis: Is There Any Way Out?, editor (Wilson Center, 2015)
• Pakistan's Runaway Urbanization: What Can Be Done?, editor (Wilson Center, 2014)
• Pakistan-India Trade: What Needs To Be Done? What Does It Matter?, co-editor (Wilson Center, 2013)
• The Global Farms Race: Land Grabs, Agricultural Investment, and the Scramble for Food Security, lead editor (Island Press, 2012)
• 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)
• Fueling the Future: Meeting Pakistan's Energy needs in the 21st Century, co-editor (Wilson Center, 2007)