Havana Syndrome: Conspiracy Theory or Genuine Threat? | Unveiled

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Havana Syndrome: Conspiracy Theory or Genuine Threat?</h4>

Over the years, the United States has (at times) earned quite a reputation for allegedly OTT levels of paranoia. But, then again, as it emerged as the world’s most powerful nation in the twentieth century, before facing some major challenges to that title in the twenty-first century… perhaps it’s not without reason that the US might feel under threat. Some of those apparent threats, however, have been a little more bizarre than others.

This is Unveiled, and today we’re answering the extraordinary question; what is the Havana Syndrome, and how worried should you be about it?

Depending on who you speak to, the Havana Syndrome is either an Anomalous Health Incident (an AHI) or an intentional and targeted attack. Since the symptoms of it were first reported in 2016, it has become a major point of diplomatic tension between America and a number of other countries, while still remaining a seeming total mystery to anyone who attempts to explain it. But let’s scale back. What is the Havana Syndrome, where did it start, and what’s happened so far?

The first reports date back to late 2016, when US and Canadian diplomats based in Cuba suddenly began experiencing a wide range of apparently shared symptoms. Symptoms like a sudden ringing in their ears, pain in their ears, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and a feeling of high pressure and even vibrations running through their skulls. Nobody died, or at least nobody is officially recognized as having died… but many of those reporting these effects did go on to struggle with them for weeks, months, even years. Some are said to be still affected today by this original bout of the Havana Syndrome.

In this first case, the syndrome seemed to set in across various places in Cuba - including the US Embassy there and certain hotels where traveling Americans and Canadians were staying - which explains why its name is still attached to the Cuban capital. However, in the years since, Havana Syndrome has allegedly spread to multiple other locations all over the world map. US representatives - including politicians, security officials, and military personnel - have reported its effects while staying in China, Vietnam, Australia, Colombia, Germany, and the UK. There have been claims from within America, too, including from inside Washington DC, and even from unnamed figures staying within minutes of the White House.

We can begin to see, then, why these mounting reports would cause such a stir in global affairs. On the one hand, there have been accusations leveled at America that there’s something else afoot here, an ulterior motive of some kind, designed to smear other states and countries, and to suggest that Americans are being deliberately targeted. On the other hand, the US is adamant that it has done no wrong. In many cases it has officially declared that it doesn’t blame local governments, as well, including in Cuba during the first instances. But, still, it’s alleged that within some arms of the US authorities, the Havana Syndrome is more often referred to as an attack than an AHI. Clearly, there are some major and wide reaching suspicions at play.

So, what could be causing Havana Syndrome? The jury is certainly still out, but theories include a directed-energy weapon of some kind. According to US intelligence reports, partly declassified in 2022, pulsed electromagnetic energy and ultrasound have both been considered. A sophisticated laser attack, or a refined sonic weapon. One of the seeming peculiarities of Havana Syndrome is that, at times, it does appear to affect only selected individuals; for example, if there are cases in a particular hotel, then not everyone in that hotel ends up sick. But there are also suggestions that some weapons would be able to achieve this.

And, if it is a weapon, then Russia reportedly ranks as the leading suspect. There’s prior history here, with the infamous Moscow Signal allegedly, continually beamed at the US Embassy in Moscow, during the Cold War years. It’s thought the signal that time around was a microwave transmission, primarily geared towards obtaining information and listening in to US communications… although, again, there are alleged examples of increased sickness at the embassy, potentially as a result.

Back in the here and now, it’s believed by some that something similar could be going on. That Russia could be working to hack into US and Canadian targets, and in the meantime its methods - be they microwave, ultrasound, or anything else - could be causing the ill effects we now know as the Havana Syndrome. There’s speculation that locations in Cuba and China have been hit specifically, because it’s there where Russia might be most interested in disrupting diplomatic ties that the US could be forging. Outside of Havana, though, it’s actually Vienna in Austria that has the most reported cases so far… with them all dating to 2021, when many high-ranking Americans were stationed there during talks with Iran over its nuclear deal. Could this, then, be another example of an outside force (potentially Russia, once again) attempting to derail key links?

Importantly, neither the US, Canada, nor anyone else has yet arrived at an agreed-upon, official determination as to the true cause of Havana Syndrome. There have reportedly been many allegations made from within the US authorities and security services to suggest that these cases all over the world do represent a deliberate attack… however, in contrast, in 2022, the CIA itself released details of an assessment, in which it found that the syndrome was not the result of a sustained global campaign by a hostile power. This might’ve been a way of diffusing the diplomatic tension that we’ve highlighted… or it might be a genuine response, whereby America is still at a loss to explain what’s really happening here, even if it isn’t weapons after all. In either case, the finger of blame has never officially been pointed.

Other potential explanations include some environmental theories. One idea, for instance, suggests that the nearby use of high strength, neurotoxic pesticides could have (in some cases) contributed to the symptoms reported. For some of the longer term sufferers of Havana Syndrome, there are reported signs of cognitive impairment and damage to the nervous system… both of which can, under some circumstances, be traced back to certain chemicals and pesticides, although the general consensus remains that the syndrome probably isn’t caused by this. 

Meanwhile, the tinnitus-like ringing in the ears has also been potentially linked back to a much simpler, natural cause - the sound of nearby crickets. Researchers agree that some of the sounds that sufferers describe do closely mimic the calls of certain cricket species, including some that might be found close to some of the key locations, especially during the original bout in Cuba. Again, though, there are doubts. And, of course, even if some of the noises associated with Havana Syndrome can be blamed on local insects… what about the rest of it? We’re still none the wiser as to the headaches, sickness, nor any of the other brain issues.

Finally, some researchers have debated the possibility that this could actually be a modern example of a mass psychogenic illness. A shared but otherwise unexplained psychological reaction, perhaps to the stressful working conditions that some Americans might’ve felt. Although, again, there isn’t wide support for this conclusion. For one, many of the syndrome sufferers were reportedly unknown to each other, or at least unaware of their colleagues’ comparable experiences. It’s not as though any one person was influencing the behavior of anyone else. But, another reason why some doubt the psychogenic explanation is because it’s thought that many of the symptoms just wouldn’t have been triggered by something like that - including the almost universally characteristic ringing in the ears.

So, what’s your verdict here? The Havana Syndrome has somewhat gripped the inner workings of American government for a number of years now, across both the Trump and Biden administrations… but there’s still no official answer as to what it all means. A prolonged and deliberate attack or a staged and elaborate ruse? An unparalleled reaction to nearby chemicals or an inexplicable instance of a shared psychological condition? Conspiracy theory or genuine threat?

Looking ahead, it could be that more and more cases appear on record… but, for now, that’s what the Havana Syndrome is. Perhaps you can decide how worried you are about it.