Here is a German language review of the most comprehensive book on the history NATO expansion. The book is based on extensive archival research and analysis of all available sources. It shows that the West under US leadership changed its political promises to Russia that NATO will not extend one inch beyond the inner-German border. The promise has been turned into its opposite: NATO would not exclude one inch of territory from its expansion. Russia was considered too weak to prevent NATO expansion and was compensated for its security loss by economic and financial aid. The book review is available open access. It provides important historical context to the current war between Russia and Ukarine.