SOFTLY BROKEN N

We analyze the possible soft breaking of (N = 2)-supersymmetric Yang-M ills theory with and without matter flavor preserving the analyticity properties of the Seiberg-Witten solution. For a small supersymmetry-b reaking parameter with respect to the dynamical scale of the theory we obtain an exact expression for the effective potential. We describe i n detail the onset of the confinement transition and some of the patte rns of chiral symmetry breaking. If we extrapolate the results to the limit where supersymmetry decouples, we obtain hints indicating that p erhaps a description of the QCD vacuum will require the use of Lagrang ians containing simultaneously mutually nonlocal degrees of freedom (m onopoles and dyons).