Intuition or grand plan? Explaining Andrzej Duda’s rise to prominence during the war in Ukraine

Polish President Andrzej Duda was already trying to become more assertive and independent when the Russian invasion of Ukraine gave him an opportunity to carve out a new role as a key regional player and unifying force in domestic politics, writes Aleks Szczerbiak. But he remains a loyal, if somewhat more autonomous, member of Poland’s governing camp, and much of the time is acting intuitively rather than on the basis of a coherent plan for remodelling the presidency.