What's so attractive about terrorism?

Amid debate about how best to counter threats posed by groups such as the self-proclaimed Islamic State, much of the focus is on direct government action - military or legislative. In the last federal budget, the government committed about $450 million to countering violent extremism. The bulk of that was dispersed between security and intelligence agencies. However, some academics and experts argue that understanding - and empowering - young people is the key to countering terrorism.

IS militants pass a checkpoint bearing the group's trademark black flag in Kirkuk, Source: AAP