The lesson from the article isn't that every country should be a net exporter like Germany... it's that Germany has found success by focusing on producing goods and insuring a minimum standard of living for the middle class. While their exact situation may not be repeatable everywhere, there is certainly a lesson in their culture for other nations.

You are correct that the Germans have taken advantage of macro-economic imbalances created by the eurozone, but why was it Germany and not France or Greece that has prospered? What is unique about Germany? I would argue it is their culture of hard work, efficient businesses and financial restraint. They do things the right way... why fault them for it?