One of the fascinating events that has occurred toward the end of Friedman's life was the increased economic freedom in India, which was often held as a model of a politically free society that lacked economic development. The changes that started in the 1990s, assuming that they are not reversed, suggests that a people that is political free can and most probably will choose an economic system that most promotes economic welfare. Correspondingly, the democratization of South Korea and Taiwan suggests that a people that is economically free can and most probably will choose a political system that gives them greater control over their government.  
 
But neither of these changes occurred quickly. In each case it took 40-50 years.  
 
It is interesting that today, as opposed to the times when Friedman began to speculate about these things, we have indexes to help us.  
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_in_the_World_(report)  
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index_of_Economic_Freedom  
 
It is illuminating to compare the maps at these two sites.  
 

Pat Gunning