Sovereignty is a status conferred on a state that means it is an independent actor in the world, has complete control over its internal affairs and answers to no one else. In reality, complete and absolute sovereignty is a fiction for most, if not all states, as outside pressure from a stronger state, a group of states or international organizations can apply pressure on a sovereign state to alter its internal affairs to conform to international standards of conduct. A failed state is a state that is unable to maintain its sovereignty by projecting authority over its population and protecting its own territorial integrity.