Asia is turning its back on democracy, and some say Trump isn't helping
BEIJING - 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 nonprofit workers and shuttered an independent newspaper. "Descent Into Outright Dictatorship," screamed a headline on its final front page.
For years, these Cambodians have looked to the U.S.as an example of the virtues of democracy, and - as a major source of aid - a check on their own government's authoritarian impulses. But they say President Donald Trump's tirades against the media and apparent fondness for strongmen have left them rudderless.
"Activists in autocratic regimes usually point to the U.S. as a model," said Virak Ou, a
