Max Primorac is a Senior Research Fellow in the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation. His key areas of specialization are global development, especially the adverse effects of China’s global expansion and climate policies, waste, fraud and abuse in U.S. foreign aid, complex global crises, and international religious freedom.

Primorac served in the United States Agency for International Development, performing the duties of the Deputy Administrator, leading the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, and as Senior Advisor at the Middle East Bureau. Also, he was U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s Envoy to Iraq overseeing a multi-agency genocide recovery effort to assist religious minority returns. He co-chaired the Agency’s executive council to counter China and represented the Agency at the President’s Management Council. He was part of Administration efforts to “end the need for foreign aid” by promoting market-based solutions as the path to sustainable prosperity.

During the George W. Bush Administration, Primorac served five years at the U.S. Department of State as senior advisor in the Office of the Secretary in support of the anti-Al Qaeda in Iraq surge campaign and as deputy director of the U.S. Government’s multi-billion reconstruction effort in Iraq.

For two years he worked in Kabul, Afghanistan as a Deloitte Consulting senior advisor to the Afghan government on building out its provincial government.

He founded and led two nonprofit organizations. He was President of the Institute for Stabilization & Transition advising governments on post-conflict strategies. Earlier, during the Balkan wars, he advised leaders of the emerging republics of former communist Yugoslavia, implementing civil society and democracy programs in war affected areas.

Primorac has given numerous presentations at transatlantic fora in France, Belgium, Italy, Croatia, Hungary, Ukraine, Greece, Bosnia-Hercegovina, and Niger, and has been a frequent speaker at home, including at the National Defense University, U.S. Institute of Peace, University of Chicago, Tufts University, Virginia Military Institute, and the American Bar Association. He was a Senior Advisor on Iraq at the Atlantic Council.

Primorac has advised global corporations in the telecommunication, construction, tourism, energy, and security sectors. He crafted investment portfolios for the Japan External Trade Organizations and Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

He has published in The Wall Street Journal, National Review, Christian Science Monitor, Devex, Foreign Policy, Journal for Interamerican Studies and World Affairs, and most US regional newspapers.

Primorac has been cited in major U.S. and global media such as The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA-Today, Los Angeles Times, Daily Caller, Real Clear Politics, Christianity Today and Catholic News Agency. His media appearances include CNN International, ABC Good Morning America, Fox TV News, EWTN, BBC Radio, National Public Radio, and C-SPAN’s Washington Journal.

Primorac received his master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Chicago and his bachelor’s degree in Biology from Franklin and Marshall College.