Why isn't Socialism dead?

TCS Daily - Why Isn't Socialism Dead?:

"The Peruvian economist, Hernando de Soto, has argued in his book, The Mystery of Capital, that the failure of the various socialist experiments of the twentieth century has left mankind with only one rational choice about which economic system to go with, namely, capitalism. Socialism, he maintained, has been so discredited that any further attempt to revive it would be sheer irrationality. But if this is the case, which I personally think it is, then why are we witnessing what certainly appears to be a revival of socialist rhetoric and even socialist pseudo-solutions, such as the nationalization of foreign companies? "

Something I believe gets overlooked is, true socialism would not require a "leader". We would all cooperate and do first, that which is in the best interest of all. As a human, and a realist, I understand that humans are not wired to operate that way. Even the strongest advocates for socialism seek or gravitate to a leader, someone who inspires them. Those leaders rarely reciprocate. They tend to demand the adoration and wield harsh consequences on those who don't "participate".