The Swedish Ambassador to the United States, Jan Eliasson, was welcomed to Iowa State with a standing ovation by a packed room Tuesday night, when he visited the Memorial Union to discuss the relationship between the United States and Europe.

The lecture, titled “United States and Europe: Challenges to a Crucial Partnership,” was the third Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science at Iowa State. It focused on how important developments in international political economy affect Iowa.

“For me, this is, in an interesting way, coming home,” Eliasson said.

“I don’t think that I would be standing here as Ambassador of Sweden if I had not been an exchange student in the Midwest many years ago.”

Eliasson has been the U.S. Ambassador since 2000. He was Sweden’s deputy secretary of state for six years before becoming ambassador.

From 1988 to 1992, he was Sweden’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York and also served as the secretary general’s personal representative on Iran and Iraq.

“It’s just a good opportunity to hear somebody with a lot of international experience and knowledge come speak,” said Amanda McKean, senior in accounting. “It’s a good exposure to people from different countries and their viewpoints.”

Eliasson talked about how the United States and Europe are connected, how they are different, and what they should work toward for a better future.

He said the three main things that connect the United States and Europe are heritage, values and interests.”Iowa is one of the states where there are many Swedes, Swedish Americans,” Eliasson said.

“This is a sign of the relationship with the U.S. and Europe. That bond cannot be exaggerated.”

Another good example of the bond between the two lands was Sept. 11, 2001, he said.

“9/11 was an important event to bring up the solidarity between the U.S. and Europe,” he said.

“All over Sweden we had three minutes of silence. This was true solidarity with the U.S.”

Because of the strong connection, obligation to punish terrorists became international after the attack on New York, he said.

Eliasson also talked about what went wrong in the war in Iraq and how to solve the problems that occurred.

“It was a diplomatic failure that we did not succeed in keeping a front against a tyrant,” he said.

“If that situation continues to deteriorate, it hurts not only Iraq, and the U.S. and the U.N., it hurts Europe too.”

He said the most crucial task that must be done to solve the problem is to make sure Iraq develops a legitimate and strong government, which will then increase security and lead to a self-sufficient Iraq.

Also present at the lecture, to receive the Liberal Arts and Sciences Distinguished Service Award, were the founders of the lecture series, Charles and Kathleen Manatt and Thomas and Elizabeth Phelps.

“We’re very pleased with not only the level of support but the quality of speakers,” said James McCormick, professor and chairman of political science. “We see this as the No. 1 political economy lecture in Iowa by a prominent scholar who can comment on the status of the economy at a global and national level.”