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      The Strange Case of the Havana ‘Sonic Attacks’

      Published
      research-article
      1
      International Journal of Cuban Studies
      Pluto Journals
      Cuba–US relations, Cuba-acoustic attacks, Cuba-fake news
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            Abstract

            This article analyses the saga of the alleged ‘sonic attacks’ directed against US diplomats between 2016 and 2018. It summarises the key developments, and examines the various theories put forward to explain the phenomenon. Analyses by major science- and medicine-based journals are evaluated, and inconsistencies highlighted. The background of troubled US–Cuba relations during the Trump administration is also assessed as a contributing factor to the widespread attention. Finally, some general thoughts on lessons learned from the ‘sonic attacks’ incidents are offered.

            Content

            Author and article information

            Journal
            10.2307/j50005551
            intejcubastud
            International Journal of Cuban Studies
            Pluto Journals
            1756-3461
            1756-347X
            1 July 2019
            : 11
            : 1 ( doiID: 10.13169/intejcubastud.11.issue-1 )
            : 24-42
            Affiliations
            Dalhousie University, Canada
            Author notes
            [1]

            John M. Kirk teaches languages and Latin American Studies at Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia. He is one of Canada's foremost experts on Cuba and has published numerous books on Cuban medical care, international relations, history and culture.

            Article
            intejcubastud.11.1.0024
            10.13169/intejcubastud.11.1.0024
            4bfc3868-6662-4656-af96-ade7ed55b348
            © International Institute for the Study of Cuba

            All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

            History
            Custom metadata
            eng

            Literary studies,Arts,Social & Behavioral Sciences,History,Cultural studies,Economics
            Cuba–US relations,Cuba-fake news,Cuba-acoustic attacks

            References

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            2. Della Sala, Sergio, Robert D. McIntosh, Roberto Cubelli, et al. (2018) ‘Cognitive Symptoms in US Government Personnel in Cuba: The Mending Is Worse Than the Hole’, Cortex 108: 287-8. Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2018.10.002. (Accessed 24 October 2018.)

            3. Derby, Kevin (3 October, 2017) ‘Marco Rubio Backs State Department Removing Cuban Diplomats from US’. Available at http://sunshinestatenews.com/story/marco-rubio-backs-state-department-removing-cuban-diplomats-us. (Accessed 1 December 2018.)

            4. Entous, Adam and Jon Lee Anderson (19 November, 2018) ‘The Mystery of the Havana Syndrome’, The New Yorker. Available at https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/11/19/the-mystery-of-the-havana-syndrome. (Accessed 1 December 2018.)

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            15. Ordoñez, Franco (8 January, 2018) ‘Rubio Calls Cuba Sonic Attacks “A Documented Fact” After GOP Colleague Questions Evidence’. Available at https://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2018/01/rubio-calls-cuba-sonic-attacks-a-documented-fact-after-gop-colleague-questions-evidence.html. (Accessed 3 January 2019.)

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            17. Rubio, Marco (29 September, 2017) ‘Rubio: State Department's Response to Cuba Attacks “Weak, Unacceptable and Outrageous”’. Available at https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?id=E601426D-D1A7-4D7D-90EA-DA87C3F9B6CE. (Accessed 15 December 2018.)

            18. Rubio, Marco (9 January, 2018) ‘Rubio Presses State Department on Response to Attacks on U.S. Diplomats in Cuba’. Available at https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=9E030287-730C-4F39-8367-E1182F457E29. (Accessed 4 January 2019.)

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            20. Stubbs, Alexander L. and Fernandez Montealegre-Zapata (4 January, 2019) ‘Recording of “Sonic Attacks” on U.S. Diplomats in Cuba Spectrally Matches the Echoing Call of a Caribbean Cricket’. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/510834. (Accessed 6 January 2019.)

            21. Swanson, Randel L. II, Stephen Hampton, Judith Green-McKenzie, et al. (2018) ‘Neurological Manifestations Among US Government Personnel Reporting Directional Audible and Sensory Phenomena in Havana, Cuba’, Journal of the American Medical Association 319. Available at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2673168. (Accessed 3 November 2018.)

            22. Whitefield, Mimi (14 September, 2018) ‘Cuban Scientists Visit U.S., Say, Yes, U.S. Diplomats Were Sick But There Were No Diplomat Attacks’, Miami Herald. Available at https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world-americas. (Accessed 15 December 2018.)

            23. YouTube (12 October, 2017) ‘What Americans Heard in Cuba Attacks: The Sound’. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgbnZG85IRo. (Accessed 15 October 2017.)

            24. Zengerle, Patricia and Marc Frank (15 September, 2017) ‘U.S. Lawmakers Want Retaliation for Sonic Attacks in Cuba’, Reuters. Available at https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cuba-diplomacy/u-s-lawmakers-want-retaliation-for-sonic-attacks-in-cuba-idUSKCN1BQ29A. (Accessed 2 January 2019.)

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