Just guessing here, but it makes sense to me that suicide rates would be higher in countries where life expectancy is longer, such as in developed nations, where the struggle to survive is not top priority.
Colombia and Venezuela's homicide rate is easy to understand because of the drug trafficing there. Probably the same goes for El Salvador and Mexico.
Places like Cuba and China have very strict control of the population, and homicides there are low because of the punishments meted out. Though not Communist, Japan also deals harshly with homicide and crime in general. My guess is Japan is a homogeneous population with a common culture, i.e. everyone pretty much agrees to abide by the social mores in a spirit of cooperation for the common good. A contrasting situation can be found in the Balkans...Yugoslavia, Serbia and Croatia.
Culture is made up of social mores -- what is considered acceptable and what is not. People are not the same everywhere, and it would be a mistake to assume we all think alike.
Yes Kanth, differing cultures is the explanation for just about everything that happens in our world by way of the human condition...some good comes of it, but some bad also. When lesser cultures are introduced into higher civilizations, transculturization may occur. Transculturization is a scientific term meaning the tendency for a more advanced culture to become more like, or assume the characteristics of a less advanced one when conjoined, rather than the other way around. The term is associated with the decline of the Roman Empire, as it expanded to include Barbaric tribes in Europe. Rather than improve the culture and overall well being of the Barbarians, as was thought it would do at the time...the Romans assimilated the ways of the Barbarians to gain their trust and cooperation. At that point, Roman culture significantly changed from what it was before, though the Barbarians must have gained some benefit from the cultural meeting.
Sorry for the long winded post, but the question can only be considered taking culture into account. The Western nations of the U.S., Britain, Canada and Australia have cultures based primarily on the early Greek and Roman models, meaning we have more in common than with, say, India, Tibet and China, whose cultures are based on the "Asian Dynastic model" (my term, don't know what the actual term is.)
Suicide is the result of conditions of despair and hopelessness, and probably has little to do with local culture. Afaik, there is no culture or society that does not condemn it as cowardly and selfish, or at best, an act of desperation, ill conceived and inexcusable, the only exception possibly being to end a terminal circumstance.
Homicide is the result of complete disregard for human life, and may have some basis in cultural influence. Violent, bellicose societies most likely do embrace homicide as a means to settle wrongs, perceived or otherwise. So here, culture definitely makes its mark in a negative way. An example of this culture can be found in the cocaine laced fantasy world of Hollywood, where drug inspired movie directors let the bullets fly and blood spills, all for our "entertainment."
Les
