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
PROFILE: Rafael Grossi, the man who must verify the unverifiable against Iran
It was from Tokyo, on the margins of an international meeting, that Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), spoke…
COLUMN: Ukraine strikes at the heart of Russia — negotiate from strength, or don't negotiate
In June 2026, Ukraine struck an oil refinery in the heart of Moscow — 10 miles from the Kremlin — twice in one week.…
DECODING: China's real estate sinks deeper — state subsidies cannot rescue confidence
On June 16, 2026, Beijing's National Bureau of Statistics released data that landed like a cold slap. Chinese retail sales fell 0.6 % in…
INVESTIGATION: Section 122, Trump's tariff weapon the Supreme Court hasn't killed yet
The story begins with a judicial defeat for the Trump administration. In early 2026, the United States Supreme Court invalidated the legal foundation on…
ESSAY: Kim Jong Un and the bomb at sea — what North Korea's nuclear navy changes for Asia
On June 23, 2026, at the port of Nampo on the west coast of North Korea, Kim Jong Un personally presided over the official…
ANALYSIS: The EU Asylum Pact — fortress Europe or a finally manageable system?
On June 12, 2026, the European Union's Asylum and Migration Pact — adopted in May 2024 after years of acrimonious negotiations — entered into…
COMMENTARY: Gaza phase 2 — disarmament, governance, reconstruction: the impossible triangle
In October 2025, President Donald Trump announced what he presented as the most transformative agreement for the Middle East in decades: a ceasefire between…
REPORT: China seizes its AI engineers — talent as a militarized state asset
On May 26, 2026, Bloomberg revealed what many observers had anticipated but Beijing had not officially confirmed: China was imposing travel restrictions on its…
OPINION: Putin wants "peace" — provided Ukraine surrenders completely
On June 23, 2026, during a meeting with members of the Russian government, Vladimir Putin declared that Russia is ready for peace negotiations with…