Politico-geographical aspects of demogeographic trends in Bosnia and Herzegovina

U radu se razmatraju implikacije demografskih procesa u Bosni i Hercegovini na geopolitičku situaciju u državi. Naglasak je na proučavanju demografskog razvoja u razdoblju od 1991. naovamo kad su se, primarno kao rezultat ratnih sukoba, dogodile velike promjene u brojnosti i prostornom rasporedu stanovništva. Polazi se od pretpostavke da su demografska kretanja uvelike odredila tijek geopolitičkog razvoja Bosne i Hercegovine. Tijekom povijesti vjerske su specifičnosti bile podloga državnosti BiH, a etničke su različitosti iskorištene za poticanje dezintegracijskih procesa. Pri tome, nerijetko su velike sile bile te koje su instrumentalizirale etničke sukobe. Događanja u Bosni i Hercegovini značajna su za Hrvatsku s obzirom da su Hrvati konstitutivni narod u Bosni i Hercegovini te da Hrvatska i Bosna i Hercegovina čine jednu geopolitičku cjelinu.The paper studies the implications of demographic processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding the geopolitical situation in the country. Emphasis is placed on exploring demographic development in the period from 1991 until present day, when great changes in the number of and spatial distribution of the population took place largely as a result of war. It has been presumed that demographic trends have greatly determined the course of geopolitical development of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During history, religious uniqueness was the basis for statehood of Bosnia and Herzegovina, while ethnic differences have been used to encourage disintegration processes. Thereby, great powers have often encouraged ethnic conflicts. Events in Bosnia and Herzegovina are important from the viewpoint of Croatia because Croats are constitutive people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the fact that Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina should be regarded as a single geopolitical entity