There are parametrizations of nonabelian gauge fields on complex spaces which facilitate nonperturbative analyses. In three dimensions this has led to analytic predictions for the string tension. I will update the status of this including corrections and then discuss a new observable, the Casimir energy. I will argue that the Casimir energy could be a good probe of the magnetic mass for the quark-gluon plasma. I will review the lattice comparison for the 3d case and then discuss a similar strategy for gauge theories. A key feature in four dimensions is the emergence of a kinematic sector controlled by a 4d WZW theory.