Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is in the Middle East today in an effort to bone up on foreign policy in advance of a likely second presidential bid.

RealClearPolitics first reported last month that Romney was planning such an expedition.

According to spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom, Romney departed on Friday and will stop in Afghanistan, Israel, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. He'll meet with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Romney met with American troops in Kabul this morning.

"The purpose of the trip is not to conduct private diplomacy but to give Gov. Romney a first-hand look at what is happening in an important region of the world," Fehrnstrom said.

"In Afghanistan, Gov. Romney is traveling under the auspices of the International Republican Institute, and as part of his itinerary there he will train Afghans and share with local leaders his views on issues of leadership, public service, economic opportunity and democratic participation," he added.

The American Israel Education Foundation is sponsoring the Israel leg of the trip.