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
4,526 column(s) published
COMMENTARY: Trump Holds Intelligence Hostage to Force a SAVE Act Vote
In a pre-dawn Truth Social post from France, Trump torpedoed his own DNI nominee and let FISA expire — turning national security into a…
ESSAY: War as Electoral Strategy — Trump, Iran, and the November 2026 Calculation
A thesis circulating in American analytical circles holds that the war against Iran, tariffs, and DOGE were not designed primarily as public policies —…
EDITORIAL: Hegseth Humiliates NATO — "NATO 3.0" or Holding the American Umbrella for Ransom
In twelve minutes at NATO headquarters on June 18, 2026, Pete Hegseth called America's allies "shameful," conditioned US dues on defense spending targets, and…
TESTIMONY: The Strait of Hormuz Goes "Toll-Free" — Trump's Grand Promise Meets Reality
Trump declared the Strait of Hormuz open and gas prices dipped below $4 a gallon. But behind the fanfare lies a 60-day deal with…
ANALYSIS: Trump Dismantles the Career Civil Service — 8,000 Federal Workers in the First Wave
On June 3, 2026, Trump signed an executive order converting 8,000 senior federal employees into at-will workers with no right of appeal. The legal…
INVESTIGATION: China Sanctions Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro — A Global First Worth Decoding
On June 11, 2026, Beijing imposed personal sanctions on Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., his wife, and his child — the first time in…
FIELD REPORT: Israel–Hezbollah — The June 19 Ceasefire Broken at Dawn, at Least 16 Dead in Lebanon
A ceasefire went into effect at 4 p.m. on Friday. By midnight, Israeli airstrikes were already hitting Nabatieh. By Saturday morning, 16 were dead.…
COMMENTARY: Taiwan's 2026 Defense Budget Sabotaged — Lai Ching-te Forced to Work Around It
This is not a legislative footnote. What has been unfolding in Taiwan since autumn 2025 is of rare gravity: the 2026 defense budget has…
EDITORIAL: The U.S.–Iran MOU at Geneva, June 19: The 14 Points of a Deal Everyone Disputes
On June 19, 2026, Washington and Tehran signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding meant to end four months of open war. The ink was…