Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, has announced a long-awaited probe into Britain's decision to join the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The announcement was supposed to boost his popularity among the British public.

However, the call for an inquiry has met with indifference at best, hostile crticism at worst.

Critics have already deemed the inquiry - which will be held in secret - a probable "whitewash".

Inside Iraq looks at the areas the inquiry will focus on and what value, if any, it could have for the UK and Iraq.

Jasim Azzawi is joined by George Joffe, a research fellow at the Centre for International Studies at Cambridge University and a visiting fellow at the Centre of Islamic Studies at Oxford University, and Simon Henderson, the director of the Gulf and Energy Policy Programme at the Washingtion Institute for Near East Policy.

This episode of Inside Iraq can be seen from Friday at the following times GMT: 1730, 2230; Saturday: 0300, 0830; Sunday: 0600, 1230; Monday: 0130.