But perhaps the most important reason for improving relations with Cuba is one that none of the three leaders will say in public: they see closer ties as a way of balancing the influence of Chávez, who has replaced the Soviet Union as Cuba’s main provider of aid. Unlike Chávez, Fidel’s fawning disciple, Uribe, Calderón, and Lula are quietly supporting political liberalization in Cuba, and believe that Raúl Castro also worries about Cuba’s dependence on Venezuela, as well as on China.