See the original editorial at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/15/opinion/sunday/friedman-when-complexity-is-free.html?comments#permid=1
I am not a fan of Putin, by a long shot. His editorial in the NYT was certainly full of self-serving platitudes, especially when read in the context of the Russian reality today.
However, the source aside, there are a lot of "kernels of truth" in what Putin (or more probably, a very talented writer, or writers, on his staff) had to say.
Just to pick one, the comments on American exceptionalism, seem to have rubbed the majority of Americans the wrong way - again, ignore the source, and just concentrate on the statements as such.
"American exceptionalism" is a "myth" cherished by Americans as part of their self image. It was, to a large extent, true in generations past. It is part and parcel of what attracted me to immigrate to America in 1963.
However, taking a hard and unemotional look at America today, that "exceptionalism" is a thing of the past. Just looking at most of the OECD statistics on quality of life, education, upward mobility, health care, etc., it is inescapable that America lags most other "developed" countries in most, if not all, of these comparative statistics.
There are still some very "exceptional" characteristics which define America - the "can do" attitude, and general "openness" being two which jump to my mind. However, as the Putin editorial says, there is something very dangerous and self-deceptive on beating ones chest with "American exceptionalism", because it prevents one from recognizing the deficiencies we do have, and then solving them.
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