QCD, diffraction and string theory

Recently, string theory on some specific curved backgroud spacetime geometries has been conjectured to be equivalent to certain gauge theories (AdS/CFT correspondence). This correspondence may be used to investigate the non-perturbative regime of gauge theories. I describe its application to the study of soft scattering amplitudes in a confining gauge theory. I describe two qualitatively different applications: amplitudes with vacuum quantum number exchange (Pomeron-like), amplitudes with Reggeon exchange. The last case requires going beyond eikonal approximation on the gauge theory side.