Mary Kabir-Seraj Bechopping, an Afghan-American, has been appointed as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Afghanistan in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs under the Trump administration. She is tasked with leading U.S. policy toward Afghanistan.
Kabir-Seraj, 33, holds a Political Science degree from UCLA and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law. Before her appointment, she served as a Legal Advisor in the State Department and a Foreign Affairs Advisor in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Her new role follows the appointments of Thomas West as the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Rina Amiri as the Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights. Kabir-Seraj shared her appointment on LinkedIn, expressing excitement about her new position.
Her appointment has sparked discussion among Afghan political observers. Sayed Abdullah Sadiq, a political analyst, suggested that Kabir-Seraj should visit Afghanistan to better understand the realities faced by ordinary Afghans. Wais Naseri, another analyst, emphasized that the effectiveness of such appointments depends on the knowledge and experience of the individual. Women’s rights activist Tafsir Siyahposh criticized past representatives for not effecting meaningful change, particularly in regards to the crisis facing Afghan women.
This development marks a formal shift in the handling of Afghan affairs within the U.S. State Department, placing it under the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.
