I realise that there are some assumptions made in the question, and I don't mean to cause any offence to anyone. It seems like pre Russian invasion Afghanistan, pre revolution Iran and Egypt and pre war Syria in particular seem to have suffered a savage decline in civilisation since these events. How have the actions and policies of foreign forces influenced this?
I go into a (somewhat) similar question here, at least regarding the perception of living standards: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6gzz50/often_photos_of_prerevolution_iran_or_pretaliban/dizww1u/
I can only answer this question with regards to Afghanistan, however, I hope my answer can shed some light on a major misconception (at least in my opinion) about the country. There is indeed a perception - and a narrative to go alongside - that Afghanistan was some borderline-western society, as furthered by photographs such as this one.. This is not the case.
Rather, even prior to the Soviet invasion in 1978, living standards outside of the major cities was still quite low, and the people in rural areas remained extremely conservative. This divide between the cities and the rural areas was one of the major reasons that the Soviet invasion actually materialized, but that is another story for another time.
However, the above should not be misconstrued to argue that there is no difference between 1970 Afghanistan and 1997 Afghanistan - because there absolutely is. The major change came in a lack of security, which destroyed local economies and turned many generations of young men to war and violence in order to support/protect their families. Additionally, foreign presence (the Soviets, and later Pakistanis and Americans), as well as general lack of security and warlordism, inspired a massive increase in religious fundamentalists in Afghanistan. Had the Soviets not invaded the country, it is unlikely radical muslim movements within the Afghan Universities would've been able to gather the backing they did; without the "islamic" warlords of the 1990s, it is pretty much impossible for the Taliban to gain support of the population and race across the country as they did.
Then, to answer your question - yes, outside actors did effect some sort of decline in living standards in Afghanistan, but the real explanation is much more nuanced than some narratives would have you believe.
Sources:
Games without Rules: The Often Interrupted History of Afghanistan by Tamim Ansary
The Wars of Afghanistan by Peter Tomsen
Taliban by Ahmed Rashid
Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History by Thomas Barfield
