The stability of American life is based on two planks – the federal system of government, engendering a precise and systematic distribution of power, and a strong civil society, with freedom of association and influential non-governmental organizations. In the first part of How America Works, Artemyev provides a detailed description of the U.S. government at every level. He unravels the workings of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government at the federal, state and local levels, and draws comparisons with Russia. The book also offers a brief guide to American non-governmental organizations. It’s an especially relevant topic in contemporary Russia, where the role of NGOs is currently minimal, and where the government, fearing a loss of control, has made the legal environment forbidding.