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
COMMENTARY: Taiwan Strait, one week later — the tally
On average, five Chinese warplanes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait daily through May 2026, according to the Straits Times of June…
COLUMN: China's military budget is slowing — what the numbers confirm
Some numbers, on the surface, say nothing at all. And then there are numbers that, once you actually look at them, tell an entire…
EDITORIAL: China's budget slowdown — economic prudence or strategic reorientation
China set its 2026 defense budget at 1.94 trillion yuan, roughly 282 billion US dollars, according to Reuters. This figure, imposing on its face,…
INVESTIGATION: Philippine fishermen versus the Chinese coast guard, Scarborough's silent war
Ten years. That is how long it has been since the 2016 arbitral ruling favorable to the Philippines on the status of Scarborough Shoal.
REPORT: The chip war intensifies between Washington and Beijing
One move, one counter-move. That is now the rhythm defining the semiconductor war between the United States and China, a reciprocal escalation that accelerated…
DECODING: 282 billion dollars, what Beijing chooses to fund
A number, on its own, never tells the whole story. China's 2026 defense budget, set at 1.94 trillion yuan, roughly 282 billion dollars, illustrates…
ANALYSIS: Seven nations, one exercise — what Balikatan 2026 reveals
Seventeen thousand troops. Seven nations. A single exercise. That figure alone sums up the scale of Balikatan 2026, the joint military maneuver that mobilized…
NOTE: Xi Jinping Changes Tactics on Taiwan
The daily average of Chinese air incursions into the Taiwan Strait has fallen by half compared with 2025, according to the Straits Times of…
FACT CHECK: Two New Type 055 Destroyers for the Chinese Navy
The Dongguan and Anqing destroyers, of the Type 055 class, were commissioned by the Chinese navy in early 2026, according to IDSA in March…