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
INVESTIGATION: two Type 055 destroyers, what Western observers are taking away
Two ships just joined the ranks of the Chinese navy, and their commissioning says far more than a simple line in a military inventory.
REPORT: starved of silicon, China builds its own industry at forced march
The phrase has become a convenient shorthand in diplomatic circles: China, starved of Western silicon, supposedly chose to build its own industry.
ANALYSIS: Balikatan 2026, a cold read one month after the exercise
A month after the exercise wrapped up, it becomes possible to judge Balikatan 2026 without being distracted by the noise of official statements issued…
NOTE: why Scarborough matters more than it looks
Ten years after the international arbitral ruling of 2016, Filipino fishermen are still, according to Reuters, being driven away from Scarborough Shoal by a…
FACT CHECK: Manila sanctioned, five numbers to verify before commenting
On June 11, 2026, Beijing barred Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro from entering its territory, according to Al Jazeera.
PORTRAIT: field notes on the Chinese coast guard east of Taiwan
On July 5, 2026, Beijing announced new coast guard patrols off the east coast of Taiwan, according to the New York Times. This move,…
COMMENTARY: Taiwan Strait, the questions few outlets are asking
Since the start of 2026, a quiet number has been circulating in specialized analyses of the Taiwan Strait: an average of five Chinese fighter…
COLUMN: what China's slowing military budget reveals about the balance of power
People have often asked me, these past few weeks, what to really make of the 2026 Chinese defense budget. Set at 1.94 trillion yuan,…
EDITORIAL: China's budget slowdown, what the numbers actually confirm
Beware of numbers that reassure too quickly. The 6.9% increase in China's 2026 defense budget, the weakest since 2021 according to Reuters, has been…