I can concede the points on Darth Sidious, they were all pawns but just as he was the real Phantom Menace I would argue he was the real Separatist that pulled apart a set of groups that would otherwise have worked together. In the end they were both sides fighting towards the same objectives, unbeknownst to themselves. Consolidate power in Palpatine and kill Jedi in body and spirit.
What’s never been clear to me is how much did Dooku know of Sidious/Palpatine and his objectives for the war.