An analysis of Croatia's diplomatic history

Abstract

The Republic of Croatia covers the geographical area of 56,538 km2. The population stands at 4.4 million, of whom 80% are Roman Catholic Croats. Croatia's land size is, in comparison, bigger than Belgium and smaller than Hungary. Being a central European and a Mediterranean state, Croatia's territorial subdivision has three features: lowland (Pannonian Plain), highland (Dinaric Alps) and coastal (1, 778 km of the Adriatic shoreline with 1, 185 islands and islets ). Croatia had experienced, from August 1990 until August 1995, the highest degree of political instability in the Mediterranean region, caused by the Yugoslav army-sponsored ethnic-Serbian terrorism and the subsequent independence war from the Yugoslav federation. lt remained, because of the protracted conflict on the state's territory, a source of humanitarian and security concerns to European states and various international organisations. The Republic of Croatia has been recognized by all the states in the Mediterranean, mainland Europe, world community at large, and most importantly, the United Nations. A more assertive role of international diplomacy could have prevented or significantly reduced the level of human suffering, infrastructural damage and political instability in Croatia and the southeastern region of Europe.