I hope the article acknowledged that East Germanys walls were built, primarily, to keep people in, not out. Big difference and a huge HUGE statement about the kind of country that put the wall up. The former is obviously a failing society, the latter one that is relatively successful compared to its neighbors.
We modeled our highway system on theirs. Our space programs early rockets were based on theirs. None of that means we round up millions of innocents people and gas them.