The United States remains the best hope to solve many of the world's most intractable problems, says Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a keynote foreign policy speech.

"Solving foreign policy problems today requires us to think regionally and globally, to see the intersections and connections linking nations and regions and interests, and to bring people together as only America can," Clinton says in excerpts released ahead of her speech to the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington.

"The world is counting on us. When old adversaries need an honest broker or fundamental freedoms need a champion, people turn to us. When the earth shakes or rivers overflow their banks, when pandemics rage or simmering tensions burst into violence, the world looks to us," Clinton says in her prepared remarks.

"I see it on the faces of the people I meet as I travel -- not just the young people who dream about America's promise of opportunity and equality, but also seasoned diplomats and political leaders.

"They see the principled commitment and can-do spirit that comes with American engagement. And they look to America not just to engage, but to lead," says Clinton, adding that the United States represents the "best hope in a dangerous world".