We study aspects of confinement in the M-theory fivebrane version of Q
CD (MQCD). We show heavy quarks are confined in hadrons (which take th
e form of membrane-fivebrane bound states) for N = 1 and softly broken
N = 2 SU(N) MQCD. We explore and clarify the transition from the exot
ic physics of the latter to the standard physics of the former. In par
ticular, the many strings and quark-antiquark mesons found in N = 2 fi
eld theory by Douglas and Shenker are reproduced. It is seen that in t
he N = 1 limit all but one such meson disappears while all of the stri
ngs survive. The strings of softly broken N = 2, N = 1, and even non-s
upersymmetric SU(N) MQCD have a common ratio for their tensions as a f
unction of the amount of flux they carry. We also comment on the almos
t BPS properties of the Douglas-Shenker strings and discuss the brane
picture for monopole confinement on N = 2 QCD Higgs branches. (C) 1998
Elsevier Science B.V.