“Yaakov only opposed ShImon and Levi’s action because it almost got them in trouble with local populous, he didn’t object to them in principle.”
Well, that’s kind of the point. The fact that they were Halachically correct in their treatment of Shechem did not override the practical consideration of not offending the locals.
Chushim is a different situation because Eisav was also not a local, and the Cana’anim probably viewed it as an internal feud among a foreign family. In any case, if he was actually a Cheresh (as it seems from Chazal), he wouldn’t have been responsible for his actions, so a reprimand or criticism would have been out of place.
I haven’t seen it “inside” in quite a while, but I don’t remember a commendation; what’s the source for that?