Natasha Hall

Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Natasha Hall

Natasha is a senior fellow with the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Natasha has over 15 years of experience as an analyst, researcher, and practitioner in complex humanitarian emergencies and conflict-affected areas with a specialty in the Middle East. Most recently, she has worked on the Syrian conflict with The Shaikh Group, GIZ, Mayday Rescue, Center for Civilians in Conflict, and the U.S. government’s Refugee Affairs Division. She has lived and worked in over 15 countries in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Southern Caucasus, and Europe. Her work has focused on conflict resolution, governance, displacement, environmental issues, resilience, and civilian protection. Her reports have spurred congressional hearings and high-level donor responses on Syria. As a director with Mayday Rescue, she led these responses, working with the White Helmets to reinforce critical civilian infrastructure and protect civilians from explosive weapons and other consequences of the war. She is a commentator and contributor for a number of media outlets and think tanks, including CNN, BBC, and MSNBC. She has written articles and in-depth analyses for the Washington Post, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, the Atlantic Council, the United States Institute for Peace, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, among others. Natasha is also the founder of Art in Exile. She earned her master’s from Georgetown's School of Foreign Service and her B.A. from the University of Virginia in foreign affairs and Middle East studies. She did a Fulbright Fellowship in Jordan from 2006-2007 and a Boren Fellowship in Syria in 2010.

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All content by Natasha Hall

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Babel: Translating the Middle East

Hanna Notte: Russia in the Middle East After Ukraine

Jon Alterman speaks with Hanna Notte about Russia's interests in the Middle East and where they stand after the invasion of Ukraine, Russia's growing economic and defense relationship with Iran, and how Arab states view Russia's war in Ukraine.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Natasha Hall , and Daniel Sharp — January 24, 2023

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Jihad Azour: The Middle East's Economic Outlook

Jon speaks with the Jihad Azour of the IMF about the Middle East's economic outlook and the political consequences of economic reforms.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Natasha Hall , and Daniel Sharp — January 10, 2023

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Tamar Hermann: Israel's Rightward Shift

Jon speaks with Tamar Hermann about the rightward shift of young Jewish Israelis and changing attitudes about Arab citizens of Israel.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Natasha Hall , and Daniel Sharp — November 29, 2022

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Helen Lackner: Yemen in Conflict

Jon Alterman speaks with Helen Lackner about the history of conflict in Yemen and how the current civil war fits into it.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Natasha Hall , and Caleb Harper — November 15, 2022

CSIS Babel

Panel 2: Humanitarian Assistance Amidst Great Power Competition in Syria

Beginning in 2014, the UN Security Council authorized humanitarian actors to provide cross-border assistance to areas of Syria outside of government control, requiring the notification but not the approval of the Syrian government.

Event by Jon B. Alterman , Jonathan Robinson , Natasha Hall , David Satterfield , and Amany Qaddour — November 9, 2022

Photo: FARSHAD USYAN/AFP/Getty Images

2022 Washington Humanitarian Forum: Closing the Gap

Please join the CSIS Humanitarian Agenda for the 2022 Washington Human Forum, examining new actors and changing narratives within the humanitarian sector.

Event by Jacob Kurtzer , Kimberly Flowers , Katherine E. Bliss , Jon B. Alterman , ​Marti Flacks , Mvemba Phezo Dizolele , Beza Tesfaye , Natasha Hall , and Hadeil Ali — November 9, 2022

Photo: FARSHAD USYAN/AFP/Getty Images
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Marc Owen Jones: Real News, Fake News, and No News

Jon speaks with Marc Owen Jones about government efforts to control the media in the Middle East and the challenges and opportunities created by the rise of social media.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Natasha Hall , and Caleb Harper — September 20, 2022

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Accountability in Syria

Jon speaks with Ambassador Beth van Schaack about the prospects for accountability in Syria and the role of criminal justice and accountability in U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman and Natasha Hall — August 9, 2022

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Henry Rome: Nuclear Negotiations with Iran

Jon speaks with Henry Rome about U.S. negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program and where it might go from here.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman , Natasha Hall , and Caleb Harper — July 26, 2022

CSIS Babel