The *only* area where there is any involvement from US security authorities in either of these airports is for flights that depart non-stop from them to the US. Extra checks are requested, and the airport must be able to demonstrate that it is performing them to allow these flights to operate.

To facilitate this (again, I'm talking about these 2 airports specifically) dedicated "US" security checkpoints are used, to spare the rest of the world from having to endure them.

So - where's your point here? There are two options:

(1) The checkpoints described above were just the regular checkpoints where there is no taking laptops out of bags, no shoes off, etc (I suspect so from the description of the behavior - seen this many times myself) - in which case these checkpoints are nothing to do with the TSA or their ugly policies, or;

(2) The checkpoints were the US specific ones at the gate(s) for US departing flight(s) in which case the security agents should be applauded (in true TS&S) fashion for giving the middle finger to the TSA's ugly policies and sleeping through it

Serious question for you - since you claim to have experience with these airports too. What part of the regular (non-US) security screening process in DXB or IST would you call "theatre"? Or would you just have the whole checkpoint thing abolished?