Everyone agrees this is a significant announcement, but what does Nusra hope to achieve and will it be successful? I think Nusra wants to achieve the following:

1. Increase alliances, integration, and unification with rebels on-the-ground that have remained distant due to Nusra's AQ-links to strengthen the overall fighting effectiveness of the opposition.

2. Begin to get military assistance from pro-rebel backers that have held off due to Nusra's AQ-links (Turkey, Saudi, Qatar).

3. Throw a wrench into US-Russian plans for joint airstrikes on JAN by preemptively disassociating with AQ and potentially consolidating/further embedding itself within US-backed rebels.

Therefore, I think we get an initial sense of the success/failure of Jolani's announcement as follows:

1. How will rebel groups respond to Jolani's announcement? "We welcome it" = success "It doesn't change anything, they are still AQ" = failure

2. How will rebel-backers (Turkey, Saudi, Qatar) respond to Jolani's announcement? "We welcome it" = success "It doesn't change anything, they are still AQ" = failure

3. How will the US respond to Jolani's announcement? Discontinue or reduce airstrikes on Nusra/ "JFS" = success Continue or escalate airstrikes on Nusra / "JFS" = failure

Edit: It's official. JAN is now JFS: https://twitter.com/Charles_Lister/status/758694895280349185