’Havana Syndrome’ Has Been Debunked, But Will Lessons be Learned?

When the first “case” was discovered in the Cuban capital in 2016, American diplomats have been dying of unexplained ailments and strange auditory sensations called “Havana syndrome” for seven years. Several people have incurred expensive medical expenditures as a result of these mysterious ailments, forcing some of them into early retirement.

Before an exclusive Washington Post piece was published last week, investigators first linked these instances to a potential high-tech energy weapon, presumably produced by Russia. The article, which cites unnamed sources acquainted with the findings of various agencies, claims that the “syndrome” was not brought on by an energy weapon, and one agency absolutely rejected the notion that a foreign foe was responsible. None of the agencies reportedly objected to the latter finding. The details of what occurred are still being looked into.

But, through “scoops” released by unnamed intelligence sources, the American media has been accusing Russia for years. For example, Politico reported in 2021 that US spies were focusing their attention on the GRU, the military intelligence service of Russia. According to reports, these officials briefed Congressmen on the situation. The New Yorker also asked the intriguing topic “Are U.S. Authorities Under Secret Attack?” in the same year. Naturally, even before this, broadcasters like CNN and MSNBC were already indulging in conspiracy theories on their shows and, as usual, blaming the Russians.

The paper responsible for the debunking previously published speculative material from “unnamed” intelligence officers. It does, however, cite a number of reports from American intelligence services, which gives it far more weight and credibility.

It’s difficult to speculate on the possible causes of the “Havana syndrome” episodes, but it is evident that American authorities blamed Russia prematurely. We could remember that this was one of the peaks in American anti-Russian hysteria if we go back seven years. Many reports claimed that Russia “hacked” the US presidential election in 2016 to help Donald Trump. Then, the focus kept changing from how Russia “affected” the election to how it “interfered” in the election.

All of these claims were disproved, and some journalists were even fired or made to quit because of “scoops” that weren’t thoroughly fact-checked. For instance, a Washington Post reporter claimed that Moscow had hacked into the electrical infrastructure of Vermont, but this allegation was quickly refuted. Three journalists, including one executive editor, resigned as a result of a CNN investigation that claimed Russia had a slush fund set up for Trump-affiliated figures.

Regarding the mysterious illnesses of US diplomats, Russia’s defense is a leading example of irresponsible conjecture by government authorities made worse by shoddy media. We will also recall that the 2014 revolution in Ukraine, which almost triggered a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO, resulted in the Russian annexation of Crimea, and began events leading to the current Ukrainian crisis, was shortly after the “Havana syndrome’s” emergence.

By alleging that Moscow was directly undermining America’s democracy and surreptitiously targeting our diplomats across the world, US officials and their media stenographers worked hard to sway public opinion against Russia. The health problems of American diplomats do not always have to be attributed to a foreign foe. Perhaps a more straightforward explanation exists, such as the widespread condition known as traveler’s illness. There was only conjecture about Russia being responsible for these strange ailments; that much is evident.

With the discovery of a Chinese balloon over the United States’ continent, we are now witnessing this in action once more. The US authorities believed the airship was a part of a spying operation and shot it down. China insists that it was only a weather-monitoring balloon that had deviated from its intended path.

In any event, it is said that the US will publish a study on this issue. Following the new disclosure regarding the “Havana syndrome”, I completely predict the report will indicate that, in reality, it was a civilian weather balloon all along and not a surveillance mission. The standard operating procedure for US authorities and the media has been to publish false and defamatory “scoops” about other nations.

I do, however, hope that the Washington Post’s discovery of these intelligence files will spur the media to think. Perhaps they’ll stop making themselves seem bad by airing the authorities’ finger-pointing without question. The American public is tired of being fed lies, tired of hearing blatantly incorrect assertions repeated in the media, and tired of a media landscape devoid of discussion on topics that matter to their daily lives.