Chávez’s connections with Cuba were an important factor in his choice of Maduro – a Marxist tutored by Fidel and Raúl Castro – as his heir. More than a decade ago, Cuba saw in Chávez a way to drive Latin American populism in three main ways: establish North American imperialism and the local “oligarchies” as common enemies; lock in the support of the uneducated and deprived underclass; and erode the bases of viable opposition.