Kenneth Juster has been pegged as the possible favorite to serve as the newest U.S. ambassador to India.
Kenneth Juster has been pegged as the possible favorite to serve as the newest U.S. ambassador to India.
WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Kenneth Juster, who served as a vital architect of transforming U.S.-India relations during the early years of former President George W. Bush’s administration, is reportedly close to being named as the next U.S. ambassador to India.
President Donald Trump, who departed Friday for his first official trip abroad, approved the move before his departure, according to a report from the Economic Times.
Juster last served as deputy assistant to the president on international economic affairs, however, he was removed from that capacity last week, according to a report from Politico. His duties in that role included coordinating the Trump administration’s international economic policy, integrating it with the greater mandate of national security and foreign policy. Juster also spearheaded the organization of the G-7 Summit.
His name first appeared on the embargo list on a report from the Economic Times March 29. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the second key appointment for South Asia after Lisa Curtis, senior director for South and Central Asia in the NEC.
Nisha Biswal, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia in the Obama administration, said Juster’s appointment would be “very good news” for Indo-US relations. “He is a heavyweight who is well respected on both sides of the political spectrum, as well as in the business community,” she told the Economic Times.
