Top White House Aide Kenneth Juster To Be Next US Ambassador To India

Kenneth Juster, a top deputy to United States National Economic Council (NEC) director Gary Cohn, is set to be named as the new US ambassador to India.

Juster's career has spanned over 35 years in government, law, business, finance, and international affairs. Apart from his role at the NEC, he is currently the Deputy Assistant to US President Donald Trump for International Economic Affairs and is responsible for integrating the administration’s international economic policy with national security and foreign policy.

The Washington Post quoted senior Trump administration officials as saying that Juster's impending appointment to represent Washington in New Delhi is a consensus pick that places a top notch India expert in a crucial diplomatic post. However, the official announcement of Juster's name is unlikely to come before Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Trump on 26 June.

Ashley Tellis, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, has said that Juster knows India well and the people there would welcome him enthusiastically as he a known face there. He also said that Juster was deeply involved in successful bilateral negotiations between the two countries.

According to the Daily Beast, Juster has deep financial ties to private equity firm Warburg Pincus, which has recently scaled up its investment in India. Juster was a partner with the firm until January. Last week, the firm bought 43 per cent stake in Tata’s engineering and design subsidiary in a $360 million deal. Warburg has invested in 18 other Indian companies since 2007. These transactions have raised questions about potential conflict of interest.

With inputs from ANI