Im not refuting the fact that they did very well, in fact I think that Germany's managed to pull of so,etching incredible here. I'm asking whether they could do even better, that is, whether there were missed opportunities after the end of WW2, whether they could have made better choices, etc.
For example, would a Germany that doesn't wind down spending on the army but instead uses it to project influence and power abroad more like in Yugoslavia could be a change, would it be for the best as far as Germany is concerned or not? Could a Franz Josef Strauß Led West Germany obtain a nuclear deterrent much akin to the French one, or do. it like the Israelis? Could Germany be richer or have a higher HDI had the SPD been the natural Party of government in the Federal Republic instead of the CDU? That was what I was thinking, mainly. Of course, had Germany charted a course outside of the EEC or the EU, and inside the Warsaw Pact or tried to go it alone, They would be in a worse position.