This study asks what are the lived experiences of two refugee women who have resettled in Portland, OR regarding their acculturation, adaptation, and resilience. The purpose of this investigation is to examine the successes and challenges of their resettlement process, the power of their resilience, and their cultural experience. The ethnography provides a glimpse into what assistance refugee women receive in regards to cultural adjustment in the United States, their experiences with Portland refugee resettlement, and provide reflection on how both the state agencies and community programs could better benefit and support women refugees in Portland, Oregon. This study explores the needs of women refugees during resettlement. Preliminary findings reveal anticipatory anxiety, a devaluing of refugee women’s prior experiences, and high stress. Oftentimes the needs and life histories of women are overlooked and generalizations made about experiences do not always reflect the experiences of female refugees. Through the individual's explorations of their histories and personal paradigms, the ethnographic interview will allow the refugee women to be a primary resource and provide a greater understanding of the Portland, Oregon resettlement. In conclusion, the final part of this research briefly discusses the four Portland-based community organizations and government agencies designed to assist in resettlement and evaluate the competencies critical to interacting and providing effective resettlement.

Led by students in the Jackson School of International Studies, this task force proposes a course of action that the United States, under the new presidential administration, should pursue to address the salient maritime security concerns in East Asia. The task force developed a comprehensive research report that not only analyzes the breadth and scope of East Asian maritime security concerns, but also recommends the appropriate course of action the United States should take to preserve both its own interests and the greater security of the region. This report makes direct policy recommendations within the framework of the prevailing issues that dominate both traditional and non-traditional concerns in East Asia, particularly security concerns including Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOCS), the increased militarization of the region, and the rise of conflicts in the South and East China Sea. In addition, competing interpretations of international law and claimant perspectives in the South China Sea are also assessed. The report also analyzes the nontraditional security concerns such as resource scarcity (i.e., hydrocarbons and fisheries), competition and depletion, climate change and environmentalism (and the lack of a comprehensive international policy thereof), as well as piracy and human trafficking. The report completes its analysis through exhaustive review of primary and secondary sources that include think-tank and Department of Defense reports, Congressional hearings, joint governmental statements, interviews with foreign policy experts, tribunal decisions on international law, news sources and periodicals, and academic journals. The report recommends that the United States develop a course of action that balances destabilizing forces in the region and encourages cooperation. To achieve that end, the report recommends ratifying the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas, developing a clear environmental policy towards the South China Sea, and strengthening multilateral ties with Japan, India, and ASEAN.