YouSaid · the spoken record

Mark Esper

lines on the record: 59
first: 2023-12-11
most recent: 2023-12-11
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“And that's the challenge. And that's, I think that's the coaching that's going on from the administration to the Israelis. At the same time, you can't tell the Israelis, look, you have to call a ceasefire and let this entity exist and threaten you.”
2023-12-11 · On with Kara Swisher · Mark Esper on Gaza, Iran, China and (of course) Trump · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Given that it's run by Mahmoud Abbas and his inability to, again, to be effective. But, I mean, this gets to the point of you do have to think about how do you limit civilian casualties. Now, look, the majority of people in Gaza were not responsible, did not conduct these attacks, so forth, and so on. But that doesn't mean they don't support Hamas. And so you're done with a population in many ways has been brainwashed by Hamas over the years. been experienced living in Gaza, so forth and so on. So you have that factor to deal with. It's kind of different here than what you might find in other conflicts like this. So I take your point. You have to do it in a way that you don't. And I've said this publicly as well. You don't want to conduct a war that for every terrorist you kill, you create three more.”
2023-12-11 · On with Kara Swisher · Mark Esper on Gaza, Iran, China and (of course) Trump · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I see what you're saying. But that's a challenge. A lot of people, a lot of Palestinians in Gaza don't care for the Palestinian Authority because they view it corrupt and incompetent. And by the way, a lot of Palestinians in the West Bank feel the same way. So there is that challenge. I mean, the least worst option seems to be the Palestinian Authority, but not this one.”
2023-12-11 · On with Kara Swisher · Mark Esper on Gaza, Iran, China and (of course) Trump · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Well, at any cost, somebody has to draw their cost line. I don't think you look, I think Israel is a democracy, so I think they are obligated to follow the laws of war, just like the United States is. And we do so very diligently. But we've made mistakes in the past too. So my concern would be, you know, I would want to be looking over their shoulder to make sure as Israel's biggest supporter is the White House, the Pentagon, there with them to help them think through how do you limit civilian casualties. Clearly, they need to destroy defeat Hamas, but how do you do so in the way that limits damage, that limits the destruction, the death of innocent people? And that's the challenge is how do you do that?”
2023-12-11 · On with Kara Swisher · Mark Esper on Gaza, Iran, China and (of course) Trump · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I just don't think we've responded forcefully enough there. And so that's kind of where I see things right now. We're sending, continue to send the right messages about the need to take care with regard to civilians, limiting civilian casualties. But we've got to be careful about hamstringing the Israelis too much. They have to destroy Hamas at the end of the day, or else we're going to continue to go through these cycles over and over and over again as we have for what the last 15 years.”
2023-12-11 · On with Kara Swisher · Mark Esper on Gaza, Iran, China and (of course) Trump · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Sure, look, I give credit to the Biden administration for speaking with a great deal of moral clarity on this issue, that the attacks of October 7th were terrorist attacks. Some would say homicidal attacks on not just Jewish people, but the nation of Israel, on innocent people, and they were horrific. And I think you spoke with great clarity. I think sending Tony Blinken immediately to the region to begin talking about just Israel, but Arab partners was smart. I think deploying American forces into the eastern Mediterranean, all those things make sense. Now, where I faulted the Biden administration is I don't think we've been responding frequently or forcefully enough to these attacks against American troops, American bases in the region, whether it be Iraq, Syria, you name it. We've now suffered 70-some attacks. The news of this morning is, of course, Houthis shot at three commercial merchant vessels to include an American destroyer.”
2023-12-11 · On with Kara Swisher · Mark Esper on Gaza, Iran, China and (of course) Trump · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And you have to accept the fact that you often may not be dealing with good guys. And so you have to be able to manage that duality. And kind of a good contrast. And we can look at different administrations, but the relevant one is, you know, President Biden struggling in some ways to deal with the Saudis. How do you deal with them, right? We have a lot of concerns about human rights. There's no democracy in that country. But on the other hand, They're a major energy supplier. We don't want the Chinese dominating in the Persian Gulf. And so you have, again, this duality that you have to manage. And so I don't think it's necessarily, I'll say the Nixonian camp or the Reagan camp. I tend to lean toward the Reagan camp, lead with your values, but you have to recognize the world we live in. And it's a rough and tumble world.”
2023-12-11 · On with Kara Swisher · Mark Esper on Gaza, Iran, China and (of course) Trump · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“View is we always have to lead with our values. I said that during my confirmation hearing somebody asked me when Senator asked, what's the most important thing we can do is something like that. I said, we should always leave with our values, the belief in human rights and freedom and democracy and those things. But the realistic part of me also knows that, look, if you make that a litmus test for anybody or everybody that you deal with, you'll find that you don't have many partners and allies and friends out there in the world. You have to work with the world you live in.”
2023-12-11 · On with Kara Swisher · Mark Esper on Gaza, Iran, China and (of course) Trump · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“So, those two contrasts in that way. But like I said, I think when you look at Henry Kissinger, the impact he had first on Nixon and then Ford, and then successive Republican and Democratic administrations advising, assisting counseling, you name it. You live to be 100 and you live the life you led. You bring a lot to it. And while you bring accolades, you also bring criticisms as well. That's part of the business.”
2023-12-11 · On with Kara Swisher · Mark Esper on Gaza, Iran, China and (of course) Trump · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT