The battle deaths of peace time: Macro-political, -economic and –social causes of suicides

The study of voluntary death (suicide) is not yet developed at the international level. The human security approach allows for the inclusion of suicides as a topic of concern in International Relations, as as many people die from suicide per year as die from war and terrorism. This paper will apply the Sociology of suicide and investigate the causes and preventative factors of suicides at three analytic levels: the individual, the societal and the international. Of special importance is the international level, where the causes of suicides are yet little researched and understood. Factors contributing to suicides at the international level identified here are: a culture of individualism; economic downturns with increases in unemployment; inequality and poverty; a culture of alcoholism; possibly rapid and frequent major societal and political changes; and extremes in population density, both high and low. Factors identified as protecting against suicides are: wars because of their effect of producing integration due to increased nationalism and industrial mobilisation, hence full employment; ends of wars; economic growth and wealth in general; a culture of collectivism; the integrative and meaning giving function of religion in some countries, creativity and self-realisation have probably the same potential in others