The spread of freedom is the best security for the free.

The line frames security not primarily as a matter of borders, armaments, or deterrence, but as a function of the political character of the wider world. It implies that free societies are safest when freedom—understood as liberal democracy, rule of law, and accountable government—expands beyond their own frontiers, reducing the number of hostile or unstable regimes that can threaten them. In Blair’s political rhetoric, this idea often underwrote an interventionist or internationalist stance: promoting democratic governance abroad is presented as both a moral aim and a strategic necessity. The aphorism also invites critique, since it can be read as justifying coercive “freedom-spreading” policies in the name of security.