Dictator chic

Courtesy of Reason Magazine's Hit and Run blog, links to articles by Ian Buruma and Christopher Hitchens at the Sunday Times (London) on the lingering support for authoritarianism on left dating back to the Communist insurgencies of the post-War 20th century.

Indeed, from the days Pete Seeger was known as "Stalin's Songbird" to Sean Penn performing Saddam Hussein's public relations work, the American left has, at times, tripped over its own feet to praise the likes of Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, the North Korean Kim dynasty, Pol Pot, Joe Stalin and many more. To be sure, anti-Americanism plays a part, but what else is behind the curious symbiosis between the American far-left and the worship of totalitarian power?

Buruma's article analyzing Western support for leftist totalitarianism may be read here, while Hitchens case for the left abandoning support for dictatorships to restore political credibility may be found here.