If you're going to compare apples to apples, at least all of the legacy carriers I can think of flying internationally also have a strong domestic presence in their home country. Emirates is a parasite, existing SOLELY to siphon traffic from everyone else's markets.
Maybe you could propose a domestic route structure for the UAE airlines. Have you even looked at a map?
Emirates does have an extensive network in the region; routes of 40 min to 3 hours.
I guess, by your reckoning airlines like Singapore and Cathay fall into the same parasitic category?