The Dilouge Among Civilization     The twentieth century has been one of the most tumultuous periods in the history of mankind. It viciously claimed 200 million lives during World War I, World War II and the "Cold War" which tyrannically spanned three quarters of the century. A century so hell-bent upon the rationalization of technology eventually turned out to be so irrational that many began to ponder over the possible annihilation of the human race. For the first time ever, scholars seriously considered the "Apocalypse" or the end of the world an outlook within the bounds of possibility.   A peculiar era within which half of the world foresaw the imminent "annihilation of man" while the other half looked forward to an exceptionally bright tomorrow. Subsequent to "the cold war" and particularly during the past seven years, the theory of "clash and encounter between civilizations" has acted as a model for the interpretation of international affairs. Originally initiated in 1993 by Samuel Hantington, head of the strategic studies in Harvard, this theory predicted the inevitable outbreak of impending major wars resulting from the clashes among eight main civilizations, known as the Islamic, Confesusian, western Indian, Slav-Orthodox, Latin American and African civilizations. The mentioned theory also aroused wide spread reactions within various scientific and academic circles worldwide.   Pertinently many countries held forums and seminars to debate it while numerous articles analyzed its connotations, aftermath (s) and flows. As a significant theory, carrying weight in different academic communities, it was manipulated in examining the United States "international policies yet by contrast alternative theories, including "the merge of civilizations" and the Fokoyama's "the end of history," were advanced subsequently. None, however, impeded the magnetism and the spread of the theory of "the encounter between civilizations" until the conception of President Khatami's unique idea of "dialogue among civilizations" rendered all previous theories inappropriate and inefficient.   Accordingly, the United Nations not only hailed the idea, but also proclaimed it as the optimum strategy for the formation and modification of "international relations." Additionally, it declared the year 2001 as the relevant starting point. Since the Islamic Republic of Iran is known as the pioneer and the originator of this renowned theory, in the following sections the significance of Islam as a great civilization and the views of President Khatami are to be concisely presented. Progressive belief in Democracy, Pluralism and the Dialogue among civilizations, as well as the preservation of environment are all the focal points and the highlights of our era.