The dissonance between Ilich Ramírez Sánchez and Carlos the Jackal : a mirror for cultural unrest in Venezuela and Palestine

Abstract

In this report, I claim that the fictionalization of Ilich Ramírez Sánchez by European media and American cinema fractures his identity and prompts American audiences to view Palestinians and Venezuelans through a lens of terrorism and violence. Dividing this argument into two sections, I position Sánchez as a transcultural figure who becomes a globalizing force after adopting the mythic identity of Carlos the Jackal. Between 1975 and 1994, Carlos the Jackal was considered one of the most wanted terrorists in the world. But while Sánchez gladly accepted the moniker of Carlos the Jackal, he considered himself to be a “professional revolutionary.” Throughout this career, Sánchez intermingled with various Soviet and Muslim organizations. Though he joined the Palestine Liberation Organization, Sánchez was a Venezuelan living in hotels across Europe, using a Peruvian alias (among others), and adopting the fame of an unnamed assassin in an English novel about French terrorism. In this report, I analyze Sánchez’s actions against the mythic sensationalism of Carlos the Jackal. Implementing David Schwam-Baird’s Frankenstein Syndrome Model, I analyze how the media, Hollywood, and Sánchez’s pursuit of notoriety transform Carlos the Jackal into an agent that eventually turns against Sánchez. Furthermore, I propose that the extremist nature of Carlos the Jackal and Hollywood’s use of the myth as representative of terrorism opens a discourse that invites Americans to view Palestinians and Venezuelans through a lens of terrorism.