Don´t be so harsh with Brandt. He was not that bad at all - we consider his appeasement to the East as an essential step towards reunification (and therefore the end of the Cold War). Even though it was hard for my parents to accept it. But I think the author has completely forgotten Kohl, who surely stands in the same row like Adenauer!
...we consider his appeasement to the East as an essential step towards reunification (and therefore the end of the Cold War). Well, I consider his appeasement of the Soviets & Co as the very step which legitimised that cannibal regimes and prolonged their survival. Thus it postponed the reunification.
The latter became possible thanks to president Reagan having balls to catch Soviets by the same and to squeese... :-))
As to the Cold War, do you really believe it's over? For the West, maybe. But certainly not for Putin.