Romania today is at an exciting time in its history. In December 2014, Romania marked the 25th anniversary of the fall of communism and 25 years of democracy. Those years have been well spent. In just a single generation, the country has undergone a remarkable transformation from dictatorship to freedom. It has instituted free and fair elections, improved living standards, and signaled its new identity as a full-fledged member of Europe. It shed its previous skin as a Soviet bloc satellite country and became a Western-leaning independent nation. In the first decade of the 21st century, Romania joined both the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which is no small feat given that membership in those organizations is granted only upon clearing a fairly high bar of requirements and standards. In Romania today, the future is bright. - p. 5.