Morning Brief: The audacity of travel

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U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama departs this weekend for overseas travels to Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank, as well as Germany, France, and Britain (Iraq and Afghanistan will come later). The trip is intended to bolster Obama as a potential commander in chief in voters’ eyes, but it also “poses big risks,” Slate‘s John Dickerson argues.

In some quarters in Europe, the Illinois senator is being billed as the second coming. “You have to go back to the Beatles’ first U.S. tour to find a transatlantic trip freighted with the sort of pregnant excitement that attends the one Barack Obama is about to make,” Gerard Baker writes in The Times of London.

The McCain campaign has seemed unsure how to respond to Obama’s tour. But conservative commentators such as Charles Krauthammer and Jim Geraghty have offered withering scorn — no surprise there.

More Decision ’08

The New York Times looks at Barack Obama’s cast of 300 foreign-policy wonks.

John McCain is devoting much of his precious campaign time to fundraising.

Global Economy

David Ignatius speaks with Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson about the financial crisis.

Freddie Mac is considering raising $10 billion in fresh capital.

Americas

The U.S. Air Force is spending counterterrorism funds on “comfort capsules” for top brass and civilian officials.

An increasing number of Cubans are being smuggled into the United States through Mexico.

Andrew Revkin analyzes Al Gore’s proposal to make electricity “carbon-free” by 2018.

Asia

Beijing is allowing increased Chinese tourism to Taiwan.

Aid groups worry that the ending of U.N. flights from Thailand to Burma next month could harm relief efforts.

The U.S. presidential candidates’ plans for Afghanistan fall short on Pakistan, Bloomberg reports.

Middle East and Africa

Israel arrested six Arabs, two of them Israelis, for allegedly trying to set up an al Qaeda cell in Israel and accused one of plotting to kill U.S. President George W. Bush.

Washington plans to host peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators on July 30.

Iran welcomes the U.S. presence at this weekend’s nuclear talks.

South Africa hosted crisis talks with the African Union’s Jean Ping and regional ministers in Zimbabwe.

Europe

The son of Libyan dictator Moammar el-Qaddafi has been arrested in Switzerland for allegedly assaulting his servants.

The king of Belgium refuses to accept his prime minister’s resignation.

London is the world’s most expensive place to park a car.

Today’s Agenda

Nelson Mandela celebrates his 90th birthday.

Singapore hosts the 41st ministerial meeting of southeast Asian countries (ASEAN).

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is due to speak to the General Assembly on energy and the food crisis.

Geneva, Switzerland, is hosting a conference on “the root causes of human insecurity.”