Washington (CNN) The foreign policy legacy anchoring Hillary Clinton's campaign will be on the ballot for the first time on Sunday -- 8,000 miles away.

The parliamentary election in impoverished Myanmar is the most significant step yet in the Southeast Asian nation's halting journey from junta rule toward democracy, a process Clinton claims as one of her top achievements as secretary of state.

That the future of the chronically underdeveloped country, also known as Burma, is so important to the Democratic front-runner is a reminder that Clinton's record as the top U.S. diplomat in a period of intractable crises is not exactly bristling with foreign policy wins. And if events there do represent a victory, it is hardly a clear-cut one.

Clinton is in a particularly perilous position because her fate is not in her own hands: She can no longer shape events -- like the situation in Myanmar -- on which her legacy depends and on which she will be judged in the heat of a presidential campaign.

Indeed, opponents like Republican Marco Rubio are already highlighting vulnerabilities in her tenure, pointing to chaos stirred by the U.S.-led operation in Libya and a busted "reset" of relations with Russia -- both of which she championed.

In Myanmar, it is clear that the governing system produced by the political opening that Clinton and President Barack Obama pushed is far from perfect. In fact, the structure of government remains rigged in favor of the military, which ruled the country for decades with an iron fist.

Clinton's case on Myanmar

Clinton devotes an entire chapter in her memoir "Hard Choices" to Myanmar and the deep kinship she feels with another pioneering female leader, opposition icon and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, head of the opposition National League for Democracy Party, called the NLD.

Clinton presents herself as the decisive driver of the U.S. effort to bring Myanmar in from the cold and toward the "tantalizing" prospect of democracy.

"I had my eyes open about the risks, but when I weighed up all the factors, I didn't see how we could pass up this opportunity," Clinton wrote, saying she was keen to prod the generals running the country to move toward political reform but wary of embracing them too fast.

The political evolution of Myanmar is so central to Clinton's legacy that she raised it at one of the most stressful moments of her presidential campaign -- a Capitol Hill hearing on Benghazi last month -- to prove her ability to bridge political divides in Washington.

"I worked with Republican Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell to open up Burma, now Myanmar, to find democratic change," Clinton said in her opening statement.

Photos: Myanmar prepares for historic election Photos: Myanmar prepares for historic election Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi holds a rally in Yangon on November 1, 2015, one week before the country is set to hold a landmark general election. Hide Caption 1 of 12 Photos: Myanmar prepares for historic election Thousands of Suu Kyi's supporters gather at a final rally in Myanmar's largest city, Yangon, on November 1 to hear the former political prisoner and Nobel laureate speak. Hide Caption 2 of 12 Photos: Myanmar prepares for historic election The Nobel Peace Prize winner told the crowd on November 1, "Some people say it's not time for us to achieve real democracy yet. But I think its just because they don't want to give it to us. Everyone deserves democracy." Hide Caption 3 of 12 Photos: Myanmar prepares for historic election Supporters of Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party, the National League For Democracy (NLD), are decked in the red of her party. Hide Caption 4 of 12 Photos: Myanmar prepares for historic election Supporters of the NLD cram the streets in a river of red shirts and flags during the November 1 rally. Hide Caption 5 of 12 Photos: Myanmar prepares for historic election An NLD supporter dons accessories at the rally on November 1. The scene is festive because it's the first time in a generation party supporters get the chance to vote in national elections. Hide Caption 6 of 12 Photos: Myanmar prepares for historic election Supporters fill the streets in a river of red shirts and flags at a campaign rally for the National League for Democracy in Yangon on November 1. Hide Caption 7 of 12 Photos: Myanmar prepares for historic election There are more than a dozen political parties in the running, but the NLD's main rival will be the incumbent ruling party, which enjoys the support of the military, which is itself guaranteed to hold at least 25% of the seats in the next parliament. Hide Caption 8 of 12 Photos: Myanmar prepares for historic election Local election officials conduct a voting day simulation in a school compound in Yangon on October 31 during a training session for volunteers, supervised by Union Election Commission (UEC) officials in preparation for the November 8 election. Hide Caption 9 of 12 Photos: Myanmar prepares for historic election Naing Ngan Linn, a Myanmar opposition candidate and member of the parliament, is treated at the Yangon General Hospital on October 30, 2015. He suffered injuries from a machete attack while touring Yangon's Tharketa township on October 29. Hide Caption 10 of 12 Photos: Myanmar prepares for historic election Singers perform on a motorcade during a campaign rally by supporters of the army-backed ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) in Yangon on October 30. Hide Caption 11 of 12 Photos: Myanmar prepares for historic election A voter casts an early ballot at a polling center in Yangon on October 30, 2015 while European Union election observers look on during a 10-day, nationwide advance voting period. Hide Caption 12 of 12

But claiming an accomplishment in the volatile country is also fraught with risk.

"Clinton needs to be careful about taking too much credit, not simply because the process was not made in America, but also because it is not complete," said Daniel Twining, a former State Department official in the last Bush administration.

Still, by any measure Myanmar has come a long way. For decades before the political thaw, it was a grim, Orwellian place, stifled by an insidious national security apparatus and isolated from the world by a paranoid military junta that used poverty and repression as instruments of power.

But the blossoming of economic and political freedoms changed life in a ramshackle nation where even Internet and mobile phones are a recent luxury. Hundreds of political dissidents were freed from hellish military prisons and Aung San Suu Kyi -- after years under house arrest -- is now a member of parliament.

While there are fears the junta will sway results or cause irregularities in voting, millions of Burmese are getting the chance to vote and the media is freer than it once was. Such an outcome would have been unthinkable eight years ago.

The United States, meanwhile, has lifted many of its sanctions on the Myanmar government and sent an ambassador back to the country. In late 2011, Clinton was the first secretary of state to visit Burma since the military clamped down in 1962.

So Clinton's claims do have some credibility.

Critics say reforms aren't enough

Critics, however, point to the military's engineering of the electoral system to weight it in its favor to counter claims that the reform process in Myanmar is as clear a triumph as Clinton might like to portray it.

"The most likely outcome of the Myanmar elections is a government that remains guided by current and former generals, despite what will be a strong showing for the NLD, and one from which Aung San Suu Kyi is excluded from executive power," according to Twining.

Though the army has withdrawn from front-line politics, and President Thein Sein has taken off his uniform, Myanmar's constitution still guarantees the military 25% of seats in parliament, whatever the result of the election. Together with the seats of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, made up of former generals, that allows the military to maintain its controlling influence on government.

Even if her NLD wins, Aung San Suu Kyi will not become president. The military, with her in mind, inserted a clause in the constitution barring anyone whose spouse or children are foreigners from serving as president. Suu Kyi's late husband and two sons are British.

Some close observers of Myanmar say the Obama administration must share the blame for the problems on the path to democracy.

"Burma is not a success story. If the administration wants Burma to be a success story, then they have got to apply greater leverage than they have on the Burmese regime to change," said Simon Billenness, executive director of the U.S. Campaign for Burma, a nongovernmental organization that campaigns for democracy and human rights in the country.

"When the Burmese regime started to open up, they did take advantage of that," he said. "But they dropped sanctions too soon and gave up their leverage."

Some critics also believe that Obama visited Myanmar -- a trip that triggered extraordinary scenes of Burmese on the streets mobbing his motorcade -- too soon.

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His six-hour stay in November 2012 had the feel of a victory lap, not least because it was the last trip Clinton made with the president on Air Force One and highlighted the administration's claim that the Myanmar opening was a vindication of its Asia pivot strategy and also of Obama's signature policy of engaging U.S. enemies.

If the NLD does rack up a big win as expected -- though the primitive state of polling in Myanmar means no one is sure how Sunday's vote will turn out -- that could be seen as a vindication of Clinton's approach, despite the caveats.

Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser who played an important role in the development of U.S. policy toward Myanmar, said the country is still a work in progress but said the changes in the country have validated the administration's approach.

"It is a mixed picture, Rhodes said, but added that the opening was "well, well worth (doing)" and pointed out that "the story doesn't end on November 8."

But there's also uncertainty, since in 1990 the military reacted to an overwhelming NLD election victory by simply ignoring the result, ushering in a period of crackdowns on the democracy movement and house arrest for Suu Kyi.

Meanwhile, continued violence against the persecuted Muslim Rohingya minority and multiple civil wars that have raged since the country's independence from Britain in 1948 also undermine the idea that Burma is a success story.

A country's fate in the balance

Clinton seems to have anticipated many of the problems -- and in her book, says that when she left office, Myanmar's fate still hung in the balance.

"Burma could keep moving forward, or it could slide backward," Clinton wrote.

That assessment was backed by McConnell, a frequent Clinton critic, who has worked on Myanmar policy for years and said the country still faces significant challenges.

"At the same time, we should not allow these things to completely overshadow what Burma has accomplished. It's come a long way in recent years. There are many positive things to be built upon as well," McConnell said on the Senate floor last month.

There's also the complication of just how big a share Clinton should get of whatever credit there is to claim.

"The policy of engagement that the Obama administration adopted was helpful," said Lex Rieffel, a Brookings Institution economist who has studied Myanmar and visited many times. "It did more good than harm as opposed to the sanctions policy. (But) let's not attribute the changes in that country to U.S. policy."

In her book, Clinton writes that she spotted an opportunity in early trips to Asia to work on Myanmar, especially after Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told her during her first visit to Asia as secretary of state in February 2009 that the generals might be interested in a dialogue with the United States.

Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Hillary Clinton accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on July 28, 2016. The former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state was the first woman to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party. Hide Caption 1 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Before marrying Bill Clinton, she was Hillary Rodham. Here she attends Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Her commencement speech at Wellesley's graduation ceremony in 1969 attracted national attention. After graduating, she attended Yale Law School. Hide Caption 2 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Rodham was a lawyer on the House Judiciary Committee, whose work led to impeachment charges against President Richard Nixon in 1974. Hide Caption 3 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight In 1975, Rodham married Bill Clinton, whom she met at Yale Law School. He became the governor of Arkansas in 1978. In 1980, the couple had a daughter, Chelsea. Hide Caption 4 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Arkansas' first lady, now using the name Hillary Rodham Clinton, wears her inaugural ball gown in 1985. Hide Caption 5 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons celebrate Bill's inauguration in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1991. He was governor from 1983 to 1992, when he was elected President. Hide Caption 6 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Bill Clinton comforts his wife on the set of "60 Minutes" after a stage light broke loose from the ceiling and knocked her down in January 1992. Hide Caption 7 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight In June 1992, Clinton uses a sewing machine designed to eliminate back and wrist strain. She had just given a speech at a convention of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union. Hide Caption 8 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight During the 1992 presidential campaign, Clinton jokes with her husband's running mate, Al Gore, and Gore's wife, Tipper, aboard a campaign bus. Hide Caption 9 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton accompanies her husband as he takes the oath of office in January 1993. Hide Caption 10 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons share a laugh on Capitol Hill in 1993. Hide Caption 11 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton unveils the renovated Blue Room of the White House in 1995. Hide Caption 12 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton waves to the media in January 1996 as she arrives for an appearance before a grand jury in Washington. The first lady was subpoenaed to testify as a witness in the investigation of the Whitewater land deal in Arkansas. The Clintons' business investment was investigated, but ultimately they were cleared of any wrongdoing. Hide Caption 13 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons hug as Bill is sworn in for a second term as President. Hide Caption 14 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The first lady holds up a Grammy Award, which she won for her audiobook "It Takes a Village" in 1997. Hide Caption 15 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons dance on a beach in the U.S. Virgin Islands in January 1998. Later that month, Bill Clinton was accused of having a sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Hide Caption 16 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton looks on as her husband discusses the Monica Lewinsky scandal in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 26, 1998. Clinton declared, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman." In August of that year, Clinton testified before a grand jury and admitted to having "inappropriate intimate contact" with Lewinsky, but he said it did not constitute sexual relations because they had not had intercourse. He was impeached in December on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. Hide Caption 17 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The first family walks with their dog, Buddy, as they leave the White House for a vacation in August 1998. Hide Caption 18 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight President Clinton makes a statement at the White House in December 1998, thanking members of Congress who voted against his impeachment. The Senate trial ended with an acquittal in February 1999. Hide Caption 19 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton announces in February 2000 that she will seek the U.S. Senate seat in New York. She was elected later that year. Hide Caption 20 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton makes her first appearance on the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Hide Caption 21 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Sen. Clinton comforts Maren Sarkarat, a woman who lost her husband in the September 11 terrorist attacks, during a ground-zero memorial in October 2001. Hide Caption 22 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton holds up her book "Living History" before a signing in Auburn Hills, Michigan, in 2003. Hide Caption 23 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton and another presidential hopeful, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, applaud at the start of a Democratic debate in 2007. Hide Caption 24 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Obama and Clinton talk on the plane on their way to a rally in Unity, New Hampshire, in June 2008. She had recently ended her presidential campaign and endorsed Obama. Hide Caption 25 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Obama is flanked by Clinton and Vice President-elect Joe Biden at a news conference in Chicago in December 2008. He had designated Clinton to be his secretary of state. Hide Caption 26 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton, as secretary of state, greets Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin during a meeting just outside Moscow in March 2010. Hide Caption 27 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight The Clintons pose on the day of Chelsea's wedding to Marc Mezvinsky in July 2010. Hide Caption 28 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight In this photo provided by the White House, Obama, Clinton, Biden and other members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in May 2011. Hide Caption 29 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton checks her Blackberry inside a military plane after leaving Malta in October 2011. In 2015, The New York Times reported that Clinton exclusively used a personal email account during her time as secretary of state. The account, fed through its own server, raises security and preservation concerns. Clinton later said she used a private domain out of "convenience," but admits in retrospect "it would have been better" to use multiple emails. Hide Caption 30 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton arrives for a group photo before a forum with the Gulf Cooperation Council in March 2012. The forum was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hide Caption 31 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Obama and Clinton bow during the transfer-of-remains ceremony marking the return of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, who were killed in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012. Hide Caption 32 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton ducks after a woman threw a shoe at her while she was delivering remarks at a recycling trade conference in Las Vegas in 2014. Hide Caption 33 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton, now running for President again, performs with Jimmy Fallon during a "Tonight Show" skit in September 2015. Hide Caption 34 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton testifies about the Benghazi attack during a House committee meeting in October 2015. "I would imagine I have thought more about what happened than all of you put together," she said during the 11-hour hearing. "I have lost more sleep than all of you put together. I have been wracking my brain about what more could have been done or should have been done." Months earlier, Clinton had acknowledged a "systemic breakdown" as cited by an Accountability Review Board, and she said that her department was taking additional steps to increase security at U.S. diplomatic facilities. Hide Caption 35 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders shares a lighthearted moment with Clinton during a Democratic presidential debate in October 2015. It came after Sanders gave his take on the Clinton email scandal. "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about the damn emails," Sanders said. "Enough of the emails. Let's talk about the real issues facing the United States of America." Hide Caption 36 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton is reflected in a teleprompter during a campaign rally in Alexandria, Virginia, in October 2015. Hide Caption 37 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton walks on her stage with her family after winning the New York primary in April. Hide Caption 38 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight After Clinton became the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee, this photo was posted to her official Twitter account. "To every little girl who dreams big: Yes, you can be anything you want -- even president," Clinton said. "Tonight is for you." Hide Caption 39 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Obama hugs Clinton after he gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. The president said Clinton was ready to be commander in chief. "For four years, I had a front-row seat to her intelligence, her judgment and her discipline," he said, referring to her stint as his secretary of state. Hide Caption 40 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton arrives at a 9/11 commemoration ceremony in New York on September 11. Clinton, who was diagnosed with pneumonia two days before, left early after feeling ill. A video appeared to show her stumble as Secret Service agents helped her into a van. Hide Caption 41 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight Clinton addresses a campaign rally in Cleveland on November 6, two days before Election Day. She went on to lose Ohio -- and the election -- to her Republican opponent, Donald Trump. Hide Caption 42 of 43 Photos: Hillary Clinton's life in the spotlight After conceding the presidency to Trump in a phone call earlier, Clinton addresses supporters and campaign workers in New York on Wednesday, November 9. Her defeat marked a stunning end to a campaign that appeared poised to make her the first woman elected US president. Hide Caption 43 of 43

She also coordinated closely with Suu Kyi.

But while Clinton did play an important role in mentoring the process, the primary motive for Myanmar's opening appears to have been rooted in local and geopolitical factors.

"Burma's opening was mainly a process driven by Burmese leaders, rather than the U.S., as they sought to create strategic space against China and generate economic growth through greater exposure to the world," said Twining.

There was clearly an impulse from within the Myanmar government to shake free of self-imposed isolation. The country's poverty and lack of access to outside capital because of U.S. and European sanctions contrasted sharply with economic development in a region where states like Thailand and Indonesia were roaring ahead.

U.S. officials have privately shared stories about how the gulf between Myanmar and its fast-rising Southeast Asian neighbors was brought home at regional summits when ministers from Myanmar marveled at innovations like iPhones sported by their counterparts in other countries.

Such nuanced verdicts, like the one on Myanmar, often have a tendency to get exaggerated on the campaign trail, and any attempt by Clinton's supporters to paint her Myanmar policy as a Nixon-to-China moment would be overblown.

But if the election and its aftermath maintain Myanmar on the rocky road to eventual democracy, she would be justified in claiming a key role in an unlikely political transformation.