With only a week left before the midterm election, the list of prominent U.S. senators to visit campus this semester continues to grow.

Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., delivered the 2006 Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science on Tuesday night in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union, discussing a range of topics relating to U.S. foreign policy.

Already this semester, senators from both major parties have campaigned on campus, including Senators Bill Frist, R-Tenn., John Kerry, D-Mass., Russ Feingold D-Wis. and John McCain, R-Ariz.

Biden, the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, outlined his stance on growing tensions between the United States and Iran and North Korea, as well as the war in Iraq.

“How we deal these challenges will go a long way in determining the future of our security,” he said. “Tonight, I’m going to argue that we’re not doing a very effective job of meeting either of these challenges.”

Biden said the cycle of sectarian violence in Iraq has plunged the country into the early stages of a civil war, and he called for a political compromise among the major religious factions.

“We need a political settlement that allows each group the ability to pursue its interests peacefully,” he said.

The implementation of a jobs and reconstruction program, he said, would discourage Iraqi citizens from contributing to sectarian violence and grant the religious factions “breathing room.”

Implementation of his policies, he said, could result in the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2007.

Biden also called for a reduced focus on regime change in Iran and North Korea, a stance he said would encourage both countries to give up their nuclear ambitions.

ISU President Gregory Geoffroy said he appreciates the efforts of prominent politicians who visit Iowa State.

“Events like this enrich the level of political discussion and debate on campus,” Geoffroy said. “It’s an opportunity for students to engage in a dialogue with national political leaders.”

The annual Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science focuses on the field of international political economy.