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
EDITORIAL: Scarborough in five numbers
Some territorial disputes are told better through their numbers than through their speeches. Scarborough Shoal, disputed between China and the Philippines for more than…
INVESTIGATION: Field notes on a sanctioned Manila
On June 11, 2026, Al Jazeera reported a diplomatic move rarely seen between two states that still officially maintain normal bilateral relations: China barred…
REPORT: China's coast guard east of Taiwan, the questions few outlets are asking
On July 5, 2026, the New York Times reported a development that received far less attention than it should have: China announced coast guard…
DECODING: What the Taiwan Strait reveals about the balance of power underway
Through May 2026, an average of five Chinese warplanes a day crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, according to a count reported…
ANALYSIS: China's military budget slows down, one week later — the tally
On March 10, 2026, Beijing set its 2026 defense budget at 1.94 trillion yuan, roughly 282 billion dollars, according to figures reported by Reuters.
NOTE: China's budget slowdown, the context we often forget
The rise in China's defense budget for 2026 comes to 6.9%, the weakest increase since 2021, according to Reuters, in a March 10, 2026…
FACT CHECK: decoding Philippine fishermen versus Chinese coast guard in three parts
Ten years after an international arbitral ruling favorable to the Philippines, Philippine fishermen still say they are being driven away from Scarborough Shoal, according…
PORTRAIT: the chip war intensifies between Washington and Beijing
A legislative proposal. A targeted response. A budget that confirms priorities. This portrait traces the technological escalation between the United States and China over…
COMMENTARY: 282 billion dollars, what China's military budget reveals
One number, two readings. China's defense budget for 2026 reaches 1.94 trillion yuan, or roughly 282 billion dollars, according to Reuters, in a March…