Cuba’s sinister attack on diplomats gets new focus
Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently announced he’s appointing two veteran diplomats to lead the State Department’s efforts to unmask and dismantle Cuba’s secret and sinister espionage weapon, aimed at silently attacking unsuspecting U.S. diplomats and others.
It’s about time for an all out response by the U.S. to address the public menace that is the “Havana syndrome,” but it might also be too late.
Cuba appears to have shared their secret weapon with others countries, as the condition now affects more than 200 diplomats, CIA operatives and national security officials not just in Cuba, but in Washington and overseas.
For those who don’t know, the term “Havana Syndrome” refers to a mysterious physical illness suffered by diplomats and other foreign workers who have “experienced serious physical consequences, including persistent headaches and hearing loss.
They’ve also experienced psychological harm, including trauma, anxiety, depression,” with no clear explanation, Blinken said.
Havana Syndrome has played havoc on their lives. How unscrupulous of Cuba. How typical of Cuba.
It all began in 2016 when diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Havana began reporting strange physical symptoms such as dizziness, tinnitus, visual problems, vertigo and cognitive difficulties.
Before taking ill, some reported hearing a constant sound at work or at home and said they felt odd vibrations.
Doctors at the University of Miami and the University of Pennsylvania, who first treated the U.S. diplomats in Havana, also found evidence of brain injury and damage to the victims inner ear’s vestibular system, the Miami Herald reported.
“It’s very, very powerful, and it only reinforces in me the absolute conviction that we need to do everything possible for our people — to care for them, to protect them.” “We will get to the bottom of this,” Blinken promised.
Let’s hope so because up to now Cuba has won every round.
The government denies participating in any wrongdoing toward foreign diplomats.
Like the Obama and Trump administrations, President Joe Biden’s detectives have not been able to provide an explanation for the incidents.
The U.S. government suspects,
but has not been able to confidently determine the episodes are attacks on American personnel by a foreign adversary.
But indications are that is exactly what is happening here. And that it all began in Cuba, where the government considers all U.S. presence a spy network to be dismantled
The Biden administration believes it is getting closer to identifying who is responsible and understanding what mechanism is being used to cause the mysterious medical condition. We can’t wait.
Until then, Blinken is attacking the problem on two tracks: he named Jonathan Moore, a career foreign service officer, to coordinate the overall State Department response, and Margaret Uyehara as senior care coordinator to ensure affected diplomats receive top medical treatment.
When the culprits are unmasked, what a baffling and cruel chapter in cold war espionage this will be, and we’re sure fingers will be pointed at Cuba, who should be punish for this out of bounds attack on its perceived enemy, the U.S.