  We propose that in QCD with dynamical quarks, colour deconfinement occurs
when an external field induced by the chiral condensate strongly aligns the
Polyakov loop. This effect sets in at the chiral symmetry restoration
temperature $T_{\chi}$ and thus makes deconfinement and chiral symmetry
restoration coincide. The predicted singular behavior of Polyakov loop
susceptibilities at $T_{\chi}$ is shown to be supported by finite temperature
lattice calculations.
