In an initiative launched by an Iraqi student, the streets of Mosul have been painted blue just like the city of Chefchaouen. Inspired by Morocco’s blue city, Mosul's old quarter was decorated in a way that attracts visitors.
In the 1920s, American Colonel Charles Sweeny proposed to the French to form a squadron to «support France’s war effort in Morocco». The squadron bombed Chefchaouen in a move that was condemned by the U.S. Department of State.