I would like to better understand the history of the aggressive relationship between America and Russia. Why have they always been trying to outdo one another / fighting for power?

by kattenz
kattenz

What prompted this thought was America leaving the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty and Russia’s response to them doing that. To a non-American, America appears to me to be the main antagonist with Russia, and I wondered if America just left them alone to run their country how they see fit, whether the relationship would be civil rather than aggressive and controlling.