So tell me, what exactly would you have done in Pinochet's place? Allende's marxists were bombing, assaulting and kidnapping to destroy capitalism. The economy was in shatters... hyperinflation and social unrest. Allende was THAT close to taking steps to consolidate power.
And then a lone voice speaks in the midst of all this terror and chaos... "Atrocity is atrocity. Wrongness is wrongness. Don't advocate moral relativism."
You do know this was not a time for reflection and thoughts. Do you seriously believe the plans Allende had for Chile and South America was anything but brutal repression and mass murders to achieve the ideal communist state?
And are you aware that intellectuals who talk like you... were usually the very first people to get executed by the communists?
I would have congratulated Pinochet for his excellent job, called for a gov't of national unity AGAINST the subversive communists, and did what the Christian Democratic Party of Chile did and restored the civilian government and have General Pinochet lead the effort to root out the communists.