Hugo Chavez presents a worrying prospect for the future

Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, announced last Friday that Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, otherwise known as Carlos the Jackal and currently incarcerated in France having been found responsible for numerous murders and bombings, is a "revolutionary fighter" and has been "unfairly convicted". One really has to wonder about the intentions of Mr Chavez, especially since he allegedly also praised Robert Mugabe and Idi Amin, calling the latter a "patriot" and arguing that both had wrongly been portrayed as the "bad guys". For those unfamiliar with African history or current affairs, such praise is on a similar level to suggesting that Adolf Hitler was a great visionary for peace and reconciliation. 300,000 died during Amin's reign in Uganda, while Mugabe's policies and prejudices have led to economic catastrophe and famine in Zimbabwe, not to mention allegations of war crimes.

Many British and American newspapers have chosen to focus on Chavez's praise for Sanchez, though surely the more worrying prospect is that of a national leader prepared to suggest Amin and Mugabe are not 'bad'. Usually, labels such as 'good' and 'bad' are far too ambiguous to be used to describe the careers and policies of politicians, however I think it is fair to say that mass murder, famine, rape and economic failure on an unfathomable scale merit such generalisation. Chavez, it seems, has tried to defend the indefensible.

On the other hand, perhaps this is just a glimpse of the future. Josef Stalin is now revered by many despite the atrocities committed during his rule of the Soviet Union. If a man responsible for the deaths of millions can have his crimes blissfully forgotten by so many only 50 years after his death, who knows what will happen in a half century from now. Perhaps idealist university students and nationalists will be happily showing off grandiose posters of Idi Amin or Robert Mugabe, portraying them to be heroes. The mere thought of those leaders being perceived in that manner is sickening but seeing as Stalin's crimes have been forgotten so easily by so many, there is an uncomfortable possibility that the thought may one day become reality. Chavez's speech, and others like it, only serve to help erase memories of the horrors of the past.