  We consider, from several complementary perspectives, the physics of
confinement and deconfinement in the 2+1 dimensional Georgi-Glashow model.
Polyakov's monopole plasma and 't Hooft's vortex condensation are discussed
first. We then discuss the physics of confining strings at zero temperature. We
review the Hamiltonian variational approach and show how the linear confining
potential arises in this framework. The second part of this review is devoted
to study of the deconfining phase transition. We show that the mechanism of the
transition is the restoration of 't Hooft's magnetic symmetry in the deconfined
phase. The heavy charged $W$ bosons play a crucial role in the dynamics of the
transition, and we discuss the interplay between the charged $W$ plasma and the
binding of monopoles at high temperature. Finally we discuss the phase
transition from the point of view of confining strings. We show that from this
point of view the transition is not driven by the Hagedorn mechanism
(proliferation of arbitrarily long strings), but rather by the "disintegration"
of the string due to the proliferation of 0 branes.
