In fall 1997, Tom Narayan, an undergraduate student at JHU, recognized the need for a forum to discuss and debate global affairs and international issues.

[1] The forum and organization is run by undergraduate students working to raise financial resources, secure a lineup of notable speakers, manage media relations, and engage the community.

Approximately 40 students comprise the organization with Executive and Committee Directors leading four subcommittees that work together to achieve the Foreign Affairs Symposium's success.

[2] Symposium talks and panels are held on the main Homewood Campus of the Johns Hopkins University, usually in historic Shriver Hall.

Each event begins with a keynote address by the featured speaker, followed by an extended question and answer session open to all audience members.

[citation needed] In April 2013, Hopkins alumna Anne Smedinghoff (’09) was killed in a suicide bomb attack in southern Afghanistan while trying to deliver books to school children.

A former Executive Director of the Foreign Affairs Symposium, her passing had a profound impact on the organization and the Johns Hopkins University.

The Foreign Affairs Symposium seek to commemorate her life and acknowledge those committed to her values: education, development and global harmony.

"[3] In 2008, U.S. Director of National Intelligence John Michael McConnell was invited to speak with political science professor Steven R. David serving as the moderator.

David also noted concerns about the long delays in processing job applications in intelligence agencies, prompting McConnell to provide the audience with his personal email address.

Students and local organizations, including Friends of Rojava in America, protested the event, citing Başbuğ's support of policies against the Kurdish people and Turkish incursions into Afrin in Operation Olive Branch.

[citation needed] On the day of the event, approximately 100 students protested the choice of speakers while another 20 engaged in a counter-protest in support of the pro-democracy activists.