Liberal Cambodians have never had it easy, but this year has robbed many of hope.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, in power since the 1980s, has jailed an opposition leader, expelled NGO workers and closed an independent newspaper. “Descent Into Outright Dictatorship,” screamed a headline on its final front page.
For years, these Cambodians have looked to the US as an example of the virtues of democracy, and – as a major source of aid – a check on their own government’s…