This paper questions the relationship between sustainable development and geopolitics of Lika. Different factors affecting the potential of Lika's sustainability and, according to them, its geopolitical positioning or repositioning are considered. It is about the influence of the historical development of Lika on the potentials of sustainability and its geopolitics today. Methods of interviews, primary and secondary sources analysis and case studies have shown that historical development has deterministic influence on its present and future potentially based on the principles of sustainable development and geopolitical repositioning. The issue of Lika's identity and micro-geopolitical relations of local self-government units as geopolitical actors in the area of Lika is also being discussed in order to answer the question of whether Lika is an imaginary region. It is concluded that, by all means, except geographically speaking, it is possible to claim that it is an imaginary region, more precisely a construct that is difficult to define uniquely and which is the consequence of the historical development of the region itself. The case study concludes that Gospić was imposed as the center of the region, but in history it has failed to justify its assigned role as leader of the region's development and the actors assigned to the task of unification of Lika on the basis of common identity. It has also been shown that the geopolitical importance of Lika through different historical periods influenced the inability to apply a model of development based on sustainability principles.