A few minor mistakes apart, your writing is good.
- À part quelques petites erreurs, ta composition est bonne.
Apart from joking, what do you mean to do?
- À part plaisanter, que veux-tu faire ?
Aside from this, he was in good health.
- À part cela, il était en bonne santé.
... This is the part of you that knows better than anybody how ...
... to how societies function and how societies operate. And part of what I'm going to try ...