We propose a gauge-independent mechanism for the area-law behavior of Wilson
loop expectation values in terms of worldsheets spanning Wilson loops
interacting with the spin foams that contribute to the vacuum partition
function. The method uses an exact transformation of lattice-regularized
Yang-Mills theory that is valid for all couplings. Within this framework, some
natural conjectures can be made as to what physical mechanism enforces the
confinement property in the continuum (weak coupling) limit. Details for the
SU(2) case in three dimensions are provided in a companion paper.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figure