Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) leaves today on his trip to Colombia, where he says he will work to promote free trade. Upon arriving in Cartagena this evening, McCain will meet with President Alvaro Uribe and several other leaders.

From Colombia, McCain will travel to Mexico. Speaking to reporters Monday, McCain said he would urge Mexican leaders to implement economic reforms (TIME) and curb the flow of illegal immigrants to the United States.

The New York Times looks at the reasoning behind candidates’ trips abroad during the campaign season.

Obama foreign policy advisers Bruce Riedel and Susan Rice held a conference call on Monday in response to reports of al-Qaeda’s proliferation in Pakistan. Full audio of the conference call is available here.