Book dossier

The demographic struggle for power

by Milica Zarkovic Bookman

Throughout history there have been struggles for territory and control of its resources, and occasionally these struggles have been based on ethnicity. Such struggles among ethnic groups manifest themselves in various ways. On one level, violent wars are being waged as populations attempt to achieve military supremacy and power. On another level, an 'inter-ethnic war of numbers' is taking place, the goal of which is to increase the economic and political power of an ethnic group relative to other groups, by increasing that specific group's population. Most ethnic groups in multinational states across the globe are engaged in this activity to some degree, manipulating population numbers in their struggle for power. In all cases the goals are similar. Only the form and intensity of the struggle differ.