US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered remarks on American global leadership at the Center for American Progress in Washington DC on?Oct. 12, 2011.

She said: "Our global leadership holds the key not only to our prosperity and security at home but to the kind of world that is increasingly interconnected and complex."

"We have to work to empower women and girls around the world, perhaps the most consequential long-term opportunities to promote sustainable development, democracy, and economic growth," she said.

In the end, Clinton stressed: "I believe that on all these other issues, we will rise to our challenges, we will continue to lead the world, and we will make the hard choices necessary to keep the promise of America alive here and across the globe."