Michael Kugelman is the former director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. where he managed the South Asia portfolio from 2007 to 2025. The editor or co-editor for eleven books, he also writes Foreign Policy’s weekly South Asia Brief and is a columnist for the magazine. Additionally, he is senior advisor for South Asia at Horizon Engage, a political risk consultancy, and he is a nonresident senior fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada.

His work focuses on South Asia’s shifting geopolitics, US-India technology cooperation, the future of US-Pakistan relations, and US strategy in Afghanistan. Widely cited for his expertise on Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan, he has published in leading outlets including The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Politico, Bloomberg View, and major newspapers in India and Pakistan. He has also produced edited volumes and policy research on issues ranging from Pakistan’s energy crisis and urbanisation to India’s security challenges and regional water management.