Havana Syndrome just another episode in US lying saga

The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has eaten humble pie, admitting recently that most cases of the mysterious ailment known as the "Havana Syndrome" may have been caused by environmental factors, undiagnosed medical conditions or stress.

The latest CIA finding, which ruled out "the role of a foreign power" in most cases, overturned a finding more than a year ago by a team from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, which was "commissioned" by the US government to investigate the matter.

The team had linked the syndrome, reportedly experienced by US diplomats in Cuba starting in 2016, to alleged "directed" radio frequencies, setting off sustained, worldwide concern.

The Havana syndrome has become the latest episode of the US centuries-old lying saga. As former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo boasted, "I was the CIA director, we lied, we cheated, we stole. We had entire training courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment."

For quite some time, Washington, in disregard of the facts, has been obsessed with fabricating lies to either discredit and suppress other countries, or to justify and cover up its violence and plundering.

Its typical rumor-mongering goes like this: In Iraq, a test tube of washing powder was taken as evidence for "weapons of mass destruction." In China's Xinjiang, largely mechanized cotton fields were labeled as places of "forced labor." And a number of international companies have fallen victim to suppression and bullying on the suspicion of "endangering US national security."

Back in the Cold War days, the United States hyped up a groundless "armed invasion" threat to Western Europe from the Soviet Union, and today it is still reviving the Truman Doctrine at times.

In fact, Washington blows the fake whistle literally everywhere. It has staged the "White Helmets" video of false-flag airstrikes and chemical attacks on civilians to pave its way for a military intervention in Syria. It has openly supported Hong Kong rioters, discredited the local business environment, and stirred up trouble in Hong Kong.

The US media have been leading by example how facts-based news stories can be written into spy stories by distorting facts and blaming the innocent.

Just as German author Michael Lueders has revealed in his book "The Hypocritical Superpower," the US government and its interest groups are apt at influencing and shaping public opinion by selecting information and polarizing the public's views.

He who excuses himself accuses himself. When Washington groundlessly accused China's Belt and Road Initiative of creating a debt trap for partner countries, it was itself the biggest de-facto producer of international debt problems. When it slandered Beijing as a threat to global digital security, it was in fact a reckless seeker of digital hegemony with an appalling record of eavesdropping. And ironically, with its genocidal past and human rights atrocities, this cold-blooded killer of Native Americans is telling a lie of "genocide" in Xinjiang.

But truth will ultimately prevail. The Havana Syndrome story is yet another farce of self-serving Washington and another old trick in its playbook full of lies. If Washington continues to act recklessly without genuine self-reflection, it is in for a credit bust.