Maxime Marquette
MadMax is an independent bilingual news outlet based in Québec, publishing analysis on geopolitics, technology, democracy, and culture.
Our mission: rigorous, source-cited analysis carried out with full editorial independence — no sponsorship, no party line.
Our editorial standards: sources are cited inline, corrections are fixed and logged publicly, and any use of artificial intelligence is disclosed.
“Burn rather than rot. Write rather than stay silent.”
Fire first. Sentences after. No lukewarm takes.
Always answer the strongest version of the opposing point. No strawmen.
No commissioned pieces. No editorial masters. No compromise.
Columns by Maxime Marquette
4,540 columns published
ESSAY: Why Trump Shakes al-Sharaa's Hand Without Letting Go of Ukraine
There is something dizzying about the image the NATO summit in Ankara produced in early July 2026: on the very same day, Donald Trump…
ACCOUNT: From Evian to Ankara, Zelensky's Second Chance With Trump
There is a quiet geography to wartime diplomacy, and it sometimes runs through places we associate more with vacations than with negotiations over survival.
TESTIMONY: Trump wants to meet Zelensky to discuss an end-of-war scenario
On July 5, 2026, a senior American official indicated that the meeting planned between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ankara…
DECODING: Trump calls Putin and Zelensky on America's Independence Day
On July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of American independence, President Donald Trump spoke by phone with the two leaders at the heart of…
PROFILE: The jihadist insurgency redrawing the map of the Sahel
Since April 25, 2026, Mali has been going through one of the most intense waves of jihadist attacks since the 2012 rebellion began, according…
COLUMN: A soldier killed, ISWAP strikes again in Nigeria amid indifference
On July 7, 2026, fighters presumed affiliated with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) attacked a forward operating base of the Nigerian army…
TESTIMONY: Seven Malian bases fall as JNIM advances, Bamako stays silent
In the hours before dawn on July 4, 2026, columns of fighters converged on five localities across Mali, from the north to the south…
REPORT: Lavrov seals Russia-Sahel military alliance in Niamey
On July 9, 2026, Russia and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) — grouping Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso — announced a strengthening of…
COMMENTARY: Anefis under siege, a Russian helicopter downed, the Wagner myth crumbles
Since July 6, 2026, Mali's Armed Forces (FAMa) and troops from the Africa Corps — Wagner's institutional heir in Africa — have been besieged…