The Relation of Health and Violence and Pathology in International Politics

The present article examines the relation between health and instances of violence and pathology in international politics arena. The science of political psychology and bio-politics explains the relations between health and political behavior. Freud pays attention to psychological root of behavior and believes that there are sickness roots for behavior. Carl Jung later adds common memory and collective unconsciousness to Freud theory and is of the view that lack of collective health can have a role in social behavior. Among theoretical explanation in international relations critical theories and in particular constructivism pays attention to the process of understanding and its role in behavior. But the emphasis on macro level approach and tendency towards considering the individual and societies as identical hinders the attention to the role of health of mind in understanding and behavior in international arena. The authors of the article are of the view that the conditions of the health of leaders and societies have a determining role in understanding and behavior in international arena. Violence and damage in international politics get are influenced by the condition of the health of actors. Since none of the theories of international relations cannot exclusively provide suitable framework for the topic of health, therefore the present article by the help of psychological findings, bio-politics, medicine, critical theory, constructivism and also by presenting objective evidence examines the hypothesis or relations between health with violence and pathology in international politics and shows the actual relation between the two. The paper in addition to the emphasis it puts on health of people and societies it reiterates the necessity of theory building and formulation of new theoretical framework for paying attention to role of health in the study of international relations.